a. Reject profane and old wives’ fables: The priority must be on God’s Word, not on the words of man. Paul cautioned Timothy to keep focused on the Word, not on things that come from man. The greatest effort must be put into God’s Word, not man’s word. b. Reject profane and old wives’ fables: This is the negative aspect of the command. In the positive aspect, the priority must be kept on eternal things, not temporal things. c. Exercise yourself toward godliness: