1 Timóteo 4

1 Timóteo 4

Wuest - "Be diligently attending to these things; be constantly engrossed in them, in order that your progress may be evident to all." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Take pains is a command in the present imperative calling for this to be Timothy's lifestyle. See discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands (or "How to Keep All 1642 Commandments in the New Testament!") Guthrie puts it: "The methods by which the gift may be nurtured are carefully delineated. The first requisite is diligence (Be diligent in these matters). The verb used (meletaō) can also mean 'to ponder', implying careful reflection on the matter in hand. Diligence would fit in well with the athletic metaphor which seems to have been in the writer's mind. But the idea of reflection would be quite apt since these matters, referring back to 1 Tim 4:13, would need a constant application of mind. Whichever was Paul's intention, it is clear that Timothy is to become so closely acquainted with these injunctions that they become second nature to him. He is to give himself wholly to them (en touts isthi, literally 'be in them', a construction which vividly brings out absorption in anything), a fitting reminder of the exacting nature of the Christian calling. The mind is to be as immersed in these pursuits as the body in the air it breathes. (Pastoral Epistles)