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| 1 TIMOTHY |
| The Hardest Job |
| Timothy steps into a hornet's nest. |
| Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers. 4:12 |
| Who has the most difficult job? A brain surgeon? A trapeze artist who risks death with every leap? A nuclear engineer? Or perhaps an air traffic controller, who determines the safety of thousands of passengers. A number of professions might be nominated as the most difficult of all. But if the apostle Paul were alive today, to that question he would very likely reply, "Without doubt - a pastor's job is hardest." In contrast to professionals who specialize, a pastor must call upon wide-ranging skills. In a given week a pastor may act as a psychologist, priest, social worker, hospital chaplain, administrator, personnel supervisor, philosopher, and communicator. Paul was acutely aware of the vital nature of such a job. Churches sprouted up wherever he visited, but whether they survived or failed depended largely on what kind of local leadership developed. Final Words to a Young Friend To assure that his work would continue, Paul turned more and more to a few loyal friends, especially Timothy and Titus. He wrote them explicit instructions in the three letters that follow, known collectively as "The Pastoral Letters." Paul wrote 1 Timothy near the end of his life. Rugged years of ministry had passed, years marked by stonings, beatings, jailings, and riots. Paul knew that his age, his enemies, or the increasingly brutal Roman Empire would soon catch up with him. Timothy, a young man, ranked high in Paul's esteem. Converted during Paul's first missionary journey, he had over |