1 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul’s blessings weren’t just for groups, but also for those closest to Him. We know nothing of his biological family, but as he says right here, Timothy was his son in every sense but the biological. It might seem strange to speak what appears to be conventional greetings to someone so close to you, but this is evidence that these were far more than just conventional greetings. Even to Timothy Paul has just reiterated his commission as an apostle, reminding him that his every interaction was in relation to and response to God. With that awareness, speaking grace, mercy, and peace was meaningful indeed. If we can’t be channels of those blessings to those closest to us, then to whom can we transmit them? We often have trouble ministering to those closest to us, but that is a trick of the devil, who hates the close relationships we can have in Christ. We should rejoice to be agents of God’s blessings to those closest to us, recognizing that the blessings come not from us but from the Lord. I think a major hindrance is the feeling that those close to us know too much about us, so our awareness of our own frailties gets in the way. We are certainly imperfect, but we serve a perfect God, and as His agents, imperfect though we are, we can bless people immensely.

This certainly applies to me. My desire to bless my wife is accentuated by our current physical distance! At this conference I am with many people whom I see rarely, as well as many people I am meeting for the first time, and I want to be an agent of blessing to them, too. I’m concerned that my getting ready to leave the room this morning to have this devotional time was disturbing to my roommates. I’ll have to be better prepared tomorrow! I don’t know what encounters God has in store for me today, but in each one I want to be His agent of blessing, saying and doing exactly what He desires of me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that the trip here was smooth and uneventful. Thank You for the good spiritual input I’ve already received. There’ve already been some things that have rubbed me the wrong way, but help me to learn from them as well. May all of Your purposes for this conference be fulfilled in each person, each church represented, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!