Philippians 2:19: I Hope In The Lord Jesus To Send Timothy

Philippians 2:19
[19] I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. (ESV)

I am sure that you remember that Timothy was mentioned in the very first verse of Philippians. Paul was writing while imprisoned in Rome. Timothy was with him, not as a fellow prisoner, but as Paul's support. Any sort of help that Paul could have needed including medical care, food, and anything else would have been provided by Timothy. Timothy was a tremendous blessing to Paul.

So, why would Paul want to send Timothy to Philippi? Paul cares about their spiritual well-being. He wants Timothy to be there in Philippi as a godly example of all the things that Paul talked about in his letter. Timothy was referred to by Paul as his "son in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2)." Paul had mentored Timothy spiritually and knew that he could trust him to carry out anything that was asked of him.

What kind of a leader are you? Do you focus on having all that you need? Or are you concerned about the needs of those whom you are leading? Clearly, the Apostle Paul is most concerned about these believers in Philippi. He is willing to sacrifice the comforts and encouragement that he has been receiving from Timothy in order to care for the spiritual needs of the Philippian believers.

We need Paul's and Timothy's in the church. There are those who are called to be like Paul. They teach doctrine. They evangelize. They defend the truth of the Gospel. Timothy's are those who are able to support those who are the more visible leaders. They live a godly life that is an example to others. They are willing to do whatever is needed to support the work of the ministry.

Are you a Paul? Lead humbly and place those whom you are called to serve as your first priority. Are you a Timothy? Be an example to others by living out a godly life and supporting godly leadership.