Nathan Choi continues our journey through 1 Timothy with a message titled “Respond with Responsibility.” Speaking from chapter 5, he challenges believers to move beyond checklist Christianity and rediscover what it means to live in true relationship with God. Through Scripture and his own story of striving, surrender, and rediscovery, Nathan reminds us that faith is not about performance but about devotion — to keep returning to Jesus, to take responsibility in our walk, and to remember that His love always comes first.

True Dedication to Christ

Paul’s letter to Timothy was written to a church in Ephesus that had lost its focus. False teachers had spread confusion, and even ministries meant for good were being misused. In chapter 5, Paul highlights how younger widows were taking advantage of church support while living for pleasure and gossip. He reminds Timothy that true devotion is seen in those who “put their hope in God” (1 Timothy 5:5).

The problem was not only their behaviour but their misplaced devotion. Faith had become transactional rather than relational. “It’s not about what we do for God, but who our hearts are set on.” When Paul says, “The widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives,” he exposes a truth that still applies today. Without Christ at the center, all our doing becomes hollow.

Jesus expressed the same truth in John 15: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Real fruit only grows when we abide in Him.

Mary’s act of breaking the alabaster jar in Matthew 26 captures this kind of devotion. Her perfume, worth a year’s wages, was poured out in worship. The disciples saw waste, but Jesus called it beautiful. That single act revealed the essence of worship: an offering of everything, motivated by love and gratitude. “True dedication looks like Mary’s act—giving Jesus everything, even when others don’t understand.”

Nathan shared that in preparing this sermon, he struggled with pressure and comparison. He worried about letting others down after hearing the strong messages before him. But in the middle of his stress, God reminded him of something simple: it was never about performance. “It wasn’t about the sermon points or how well I spoke,” he said. “It was about Jesus. Once I surrendered that, I was filled with joy again.”

This is the heart of true dedication — surrendering pride, pressure, and results, and coming back to the simplicity of knowing Christ. As Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

From Performance to Relationship

Nathan said he grew up in a Christian household where faith often looked like activity. His parents served faithfully, and he grew up believing that God’s love was tied to doing things for Him. “I thought that as long as I was serving and producing fruit, I was doing well with God,” he said.

After seeing seasons of blessing and ministry growth, Nathan began expecting constant breakthroughs. When things slowed down, he became frustrated. “I was asking God, ‘Why is nothing happening? I’m serving You!’ But that showed how I saw God — more as a boss who needed results than a Father who loved me.”

That realization changed everything. In prayer, Nathan confessed that he had been trying to seek God through his own strength. “Through my own understanding, I led myself nowhere — just further away from Him. But through His perfect love, I found freedom again.”

1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love drives out fear.” Nathan said this verse became real for him when he understood that God’s love is not something to be earned but received. “There is no fear to perform, no pressure to achieve, only the security of being loved by God.”

When love becomes the foundation, service flows naturally. Dedication turns from duty to delight. Gratitude replaces striving, and worship becomes genuine again.

Responsibility in Relationship

Every relationship requires responsibility — not to earn love, but to keep it alive. Paul commends elders who “carry themselves in a way that honors God,” showing that faith involves intentionality.

Nathan used a simple analogy: old friends from high school. “We were so close, but as time passed and we stopped talking, the friendship grew awkward. When I saw them again, I could barely hold a conversation. It’s the same with God. If we stop showing up, we start forgetting who He is.”

This is why responsibility matters. It’s the act of showing up in prayer, in Scripture, and in worship even when we don’t feel like it. It’s remembering who God is when life grows routine.

The parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25 illustrates this well. Five were wise and kept oil for their lamps, while the others let theirs run out. The oil represents truth and readiness. Responsibility means tending to that oil — staying close to truth and prioritizing time with God before everything else.

Nathan admitted that, for a long time, he avoided personal prayer because he thought forcing himself to do it was insincere. “I used to think if I didn’t ‘feel it,’ I shouldn’t do it,” he said. “But I learned that responsibility isn’t about feelings — it’s about faithfulness. When I started showing up anyway, that place of duty became a place of love.”

He described how his spiritual identity shifted as he kept showing up: first, he saw himself as a Christian doing what Christians do; then as a disciple following Jesus daily; and finally, as a child of God who is deeply loved. “When I stopped trying to earn love and just remembered it, everything changed.”

Living as Children of God

Everything begins with remembrance. Transformation happens when we remember who Christ is and who we are in Him. Romans 12 calls believers to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” and that renewal comes through consistent relationship with God.

Hebrews 12:1–3 paints the closing image: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.” To fix our eyes on Jesus is to center our identity and endurance in Him alone.

Two reflection questions anchor the message:

1. Who is my God? He is not only the God of Paul or Timothy but my God — Wonderful Savior, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel.
2. What is my identity? Am I living as a child of God, or just moving through life like everyone else?

Nathan closed with a call that sums up the message and the series:

“Respond with responsibility. Come back to Jesus. Remember who He is and who you are. It’s not about what you produce — it’s about who you belong to.”