2 Timothy 3:10
You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
Truth: Following the "aim" of God makes for a great journey.
In the above passage Paul is giving young pastor Timothy some final instructions for his ministry and service. He reminds Timothy that they young man had followed Paul in ministry and that was a good thing. Timothy was in Ephesus, a modern day city with much temptation and much resistance to the Gospel. Timothy was under great hardship and persecution from those who opposed God's grace. Paul wanted to remind Timothy of his commitment and, like Paul himself, that was in the face of this constant persecution. In this reminder Paul tells Timothy that he was following' Paul's own "aim" in life. The world "aim" in the Greek is the word, "prothesis." It means a "setting forth" of something. To get the full meaning, however, we need to see it used in other passages of God's Word. Note the following:
Ephesians 1:11
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
2 Timothy 1:9
who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
There is a lot of talk today in the work place about how having a "purpose" in life changes the attitude of those who are working in a particular organization. The "purpose-maximizer" as one leadership-guru calls it (Daniel Pink ... "Drive"). Apparently the world is discovering that extrinsic motivators, like money, are not enough to get people to work hard and to be engaged in their work. The world is discovering that they need more in life than a paycheck. They need a purpose. Based upon our above passage(s), Paul would have been a great, modern-day, leadership guru. He is telling young Timothy to remember his "aim" in life. But, Timothy's "aim" was not his own desired aim ... which is also taught by today's gurus. No, Timothy's "aim" was to the same as Paul's "aim." Paul was following God's "aim" for his life. Like Timothy our "aim" in life is not our own feelings and our own comfort and our own desires. The believer was saved to accomplish God's purpose for their lives. It is only when we are on the track to accomplish God's purpose that we find real joy in life. Our "purpose" is to glorify God and to declare the glory of God via the Gospel, the Mystery which is Christ (Colossians 2). When we strive for that "aim" we can know we have a great journey and destination.
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