The Apostle's eulogium on Timothy points to his long and intimate
association with Paul and to the Philippians' knowledge of him as well
as to the Apostle's clinging to him. There is a piece of delicate beauty
in the words which we may pause for a moment to point out. Paul writes
as 'a child serveth a father,' and the natural sequence would have been
'so he served me,' but he remembers that the service was not to him,
Paul, but to another, and so he changes the words and says he 'served
_with_ me in furtherance of the Gospel.' We are both servants
alike--Christ's servants for the Gospel.
Paul's joy in Timothy's loving co-operation was so deep because Paul's
whole heart was set on 'the furtherance of the Gospel.' Help towards
that end was help indeed. We may measure the ardour and intensity of
Paul's devotion to his apostolic work by the warmth of gratitude which
he shows to his helper. They who contribute to our reaching our chief
desire win our warmest love, and the catalogue of our helpers follows
the order of the list of our aims. Timothy brought to Paul no assistance
to procure any of the common objects of human desires. Wealth,
reputation, success in any of the pursuits which attract most men might
have been held out to the Apostle and not been thought worth stooping to
take, nor would the offerer have been thanked, but any proffered service
that had the smallest bearing on that great work to which Paul's life
was given, and which his conscience told him there would be a curse on
himself if he did not fulfil, was welcomed as a priceless gift. Do we
arrange the lists of our helpers on the same fashion, and count that
they serve us best who help us to serve Christ? It should be as much the
purpose of every Christian life as it was that of Paul to spread the
salvation and glory of the 'name that is above every name.' If we lived
as continually under the influence of that truth as he did, we should
construe the circumstances of our lives, whether helpful or hindering,
very differently, and we could shake the world.
Christian unity is very good and infinitely to be desired, but the true
field on which it should display itself is that of united work for the
common Lord. The men who have marched side by side through a campaign
are knit together as nothing else would bind them. Even two horses
drawing one carriage will have ways and feelings and a common
understanding, which they would never have attained in any other way.
There is nothing like common work for clearing away mists. Much
so-called Christian sympathy and like-mindedness are something like the
penal cranks that used to be in jails, which generated immense power on
this side of the wall but ground out nothing on the other.
Let us not forget that in the field of Christian service there is room
for all manner of workers, and that they are associated, however
different their work. Paul often calls Timothy his 'fellow-labourer,'
and once gives him the eulogium, 'he worketh the work of the Lord as I
also do.' Think of the difference between the two men in age, endowment,
and sphere! Apparently Timothy at first had very subordinate work taking
John Mark's place, and is described as being one of those who
'ministered' to Paul. It is the cup of cold water over again. All work
done for the same Lord, and with the same motive is the same; 'he that
receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's
reward.' When Paul associates Timothy with himself he is copying from
afar off his Lord, who lets us think of even our poor deeds as done by
those whom He does not disdain to call His fellow-workers. It would be
worth living for if, at the last, He should acknowledge us, and say even
of us, 'he hath served with Me in the Gospel.'