Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. He came to live the life we could not live, He came to die the death that we deserve and He came to gain the victory that we could never gain. Paul highlights in this passage that he was the worst of sinners and yet God had mercy on him and changed the direction of his life. The Good News for everyone in this world is that God can step in and change us if we are willing to accept what He has to offer - eternal life with Him.

Timothy had the attitude of submission and wanted to serve the Lord. It was through his Christian faith that this attitude developed and grew. In this passage, Paul tells us that Timothy has a genuine concern for others and not for himself, as others had shown. Timothy wanted to serve others. We need to have this same attitude in our Christian walk as we serve Jesus.

Why do you work? If work does not have a purpose then it becomes a drain on your life. Jesus' ministry, whilst He was on earth, was all about the Kingdom of God. As Christians, God's calling in our lives is all about glorifying God. We need to take the opportunity of marrying together both our job and God's calling for us. We are ambassadors for God and we need to direct others, when opportunities arise, to the Kingdom of God.

In this passage we see the first perfect relationship and partnership between Adam and Eve. Through Satan's deception, we also see the first breakdown in the relationship. Fear was introduced to Adam and Eve. Fear can destroy relationships in various ways; (a) through fear of exposure of who we really are, (b) fear of disappointment that makes us defensive and (c) fear of losing control. God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to be honest with ourselves and each other. Adam and Eve lived in co-operation, but after sinning, lived in competition. To overcome fear in relationships, or any aspect of our life, we need to experience God's love and surrender our life to Him. We need to remember that God accepts, loves, forgives and values us.

God is far more interested in the way you think rather than changing your circumstances. We want God to take away our pain, sickness and difficulties in life. No transformation can happen in our life unless our mind is in the right place. Our thoughts control our life. Our mind is a battlefield for sin. Temptation can be a problem for us if it is in our mind in the first place. Whatever gets our attention, gets us. We need to let the Spirit control our mind, and for it to remain healthy, we need to feed it with truth, free it from destructive thoughts and focus our minds on the right things - Jesus, others and eternity.