According to the first verse of Colossians, Paul writes the letter, but Timothy is also included as one of the senders of the letter. It says, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.” Paul and Timothy were very close. He was in Corinth on the second journey when Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians, at Ephesus on the third journey when Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, and in Rome during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment when he wrote Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. You might also notice that two of Paul’s later letters are addressed specifically to him; see 1st and 2nd Timothy. According to one website, Timothy has a rich history, and most of it deals with Paul. Timothy was an early Christian evangelist and according to church history was the first bishop of Ephesus. He was Paul’s companion on many missionary journeys along with Silas and a few others. He also acted as Paul’s scribe at times but was also credited with being the co-writer of some of Paul’s epistles. He was Paul’s trustworthy friend who cared for Paul’s needs in many ways and even represented him to the churches when Paul was in prison. He was so trusted by Paul, that he was sent to various churches to establish order, resist false teachers, appoint elders as well as having the authority to teach and preach himself. Paul called him “My true son in the faith.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “I would rather be chained in a dungeon, wrist to wrist, with a Christian than to live forever with the wicked in the sunshine of happiness.” We all know that Paul was beheaded by Nero in about 65 AD. According to Hebrews 13:23, Timothy was also a prisoner and very likely experienced a similar death. In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul exhorts his friend, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” It is a battle, of course! The goal is well worth fighting for, and it requires fighting for. Paul instructs Timothy to “take hold of eternal life.” Both Paul and Timothy entered the battle and lost their physical lives as a result. But they both received what Jesus promised in John 10:10, “Life, life in its fullest.” It reminds me of what William Wallace, the character of Braveheart, said, “Everyman dies, but not every man truly lives.”
Some Christians have eternal life but never really “take hold” of it. Similarly, some people who are alive physically never really enter into the fullness of life because they’d rather share the sunshine of happiness than the trials and struggles of “fighting the good fight of the faith.” Some people are so afraid of failure that they can’t live life to the fullest. Nebraska’s new head football coach was interviewed after his second loss of the season and explained that some of his players want to win so badly that they make too many mistakes. They are so afraid of losing that they can’t play the game to their fullest abilities. This is true for a lot of us. Fear of failure cripples our lives. Timothy was the kind of disciple who followed Paul’s example. By calling Timothy “brother,” he is implying there are family traits that they share. Like Paul, he knew who he was and wasn’t afraid to live it regardless of the consequences. I like the Bugs Bunny quote, “Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive.”