FOR I AM MINDFUL: hupomnesin labon (AAPMSN) tes en: (Psalms 77:6)

I am mindful (literally "taking remembrance") is two Greek words, lambano (2983) meaning to receive or take in whatever manner and hupomnesis (5280) (hupó = under + mimnesko = to remind) meaning remembrance, recalling, thinking about something again, causing oneself to remember, refreshing one's memory.

Spurgeon comments...

We see here the inmost heart of Paul. Deserted by many of his friends, and in the feebleness of old age, expecting a cruel death, he cherishes the memory of his beloved young disciple, and longs to look once more upon his face. (The Interpreter)

Mindful (5280)(hupomnesis) speaks of an act of recollection especially excited by a person or thing.  (Click word study on hupomnesis)

Hupomnesis is Paul's third reference to his memories ("remember" in v3, "recall" in v4) and denotes an external reminding. The fact that Paul remembered Timothy would certainly encourage him. Paul could have easily focused on his self in a cell and had a pity party but instead he repeatedly emphasized that he remember Timothy.

So the Greek is literally "Having received a reminder”  It's like a "memorandum" that comes to mind. In some way or other, Paul had been reminded of Timothy’s sincere faith.

D. Edmond Hiebert remarks that...

The "call to remembrance" of the King James does not adequately give the force of the word. The occasion for this reminding is not indicated, but something had happened at Rome under Paul's eyes which strongly reminded him of Timothy's faith. It is a gracious hint to his young friend, indicating to him "how Paul esteems Timothy's faith, considers it a model, with which sincere acts of other men's faith are compared in Paul's mind" (Lenski). (2 Timothy by D. Edmond Hiebert).

Spurgeon observes that Timothy's spirit...

was a choice spirit and therefore it was desirable to see it strong, brave and energetic. No one would wish to arouse a bad man, for like a viper he is all the worse for being awake. But in proportion to the excellence of the character is the desirability of its being full of force. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy, in his first Epistle, not to neglect the gift that is in him. And in the text before us he bids him stir up that gift—in each case he is sounding the trumpet in his ear and summoning him to intense action. He speaks of the gift that was conferred by the laying on of hands, and in the former Epistle he connects that with the hands of the presbytery. (Our Gifts and How to Use Them)

OF THE SINCERE FAITH WITHIN YOU: tes en soi anupokritou pisteos : (Torrey's Topic "Faith") (Psalms 17:1; 18:44; 66:3; 81:15; Jeremiah 3:10 Jn 1:47; 1Ti 1:5; 4:6; 1Pe 1:22)

Sincere (505) (anupokritos from a = negative prefix meaning without +  hupokrinomai [see below] = to pretend, this Greek verb being a combination of hupó = under, indicating secrecy + krino = to judge) is literally without play acting, without playing the part or without hypocrisy.

Anupokritos describes that which is unhypocritical, genuine (faith, love and wisdom in Scripture) and without show or pretense (pretense = a claim made or implied and especially one not supported by fact).

W E Vine has this note on the related root word explaining that a hypocrite (hupokrites) was...

"a stage–actor; it was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice; hence the word became used metaphorically of a dissembler, a hypocrite." (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson)

 A hypocrite is therefore an actor. Timothy’s faith was not an act but was completely genuine, unhypocritical and without pretense or deceit.

Marvin Vincent explains that the related word hypocrite (hupokrites) is...

From hupokrino,  to separate gradually; so of separating the truth from a mass of falsehood, and thence to subject to inquiry, and, as a result of this, to expound or interpret what is elicited. Then, to reply to inquiry, and so to answer on the stage, to speak in dialogue, to act. From this the transition is easy to assuming, feigning, playing a part. The hypocrite is, therefore, etymologically, an actor. (Greek Word Study)

Anupokritos is used 6 times in the NT once in each of the following books (Ro; 2Co; 1Ti; 2 Ti; Js; 1Pe) and in the NAS is translated "genuine, 1; sincere, 3; without hypocrisy, 2" whereas the KJV translates it "unfeigned, 4; without dissimulation (= act of hiding under a false appearance; e.g., "she smiled to dissimulate her anxiety"), 1; without hypocrisy, 1".

Timothy was aware that there were many who ostensibly were simply "playing the part" of a disciple ("You [Timothy] are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes" 2 Ti1:15). In this setting of defection by those who once stood beside Paul, it is not surprising that Timothy's "sincere faith" was a source of encouragement, joy and thanksgiving for Paul in prison.

Timothy's faith was "not an act" like the Greek play actors who were called hupokrites,  because they answered from under (hupo) a mask.

D. Edmond Hiebert observes that Timothy's faith...

is given a twofold description. It is "unfeigned," literally, "unhypocritical"; a faith arising out of an inner reality of conviction and knowing no sham or pretense. It is further described by the clause "which [lit., which is such as] dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice." Timothy is parallel to Paul in that he too has a line of godly ancestors, in whom this "unhypocritical faith" has effectively taken up its abode." (2 Timothy by D. Edmond Hiebert) (Bolding added)

Timothy's faith was without "play acting" and this truth must have brought great joy to Paul's heart to know Timothy was "the real thing". In his third epistle John voices a similar exhortation to his readers...

"I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."  (3John 1:4).

Anupokritos is used in the NT to modify "love" three times! Clearly the implication that there can be an outward show of love which is really only a facade or mask!

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THE OTHER 5 USES
OF ANUPOKRITOS

In Romans Paul says...

"Let love be without hypocrisy (anupokritos). Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good." (see note Romans 12:9)

Writing to the church at Corinth Paul describes himself and other "servants of God" as those who carry out there office 

"in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine (anupokritos) love" (2Cor 6:4-6)

Peter exhorts the tested believers who reside as aliens that...

"Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere (anupokritos) love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart" (see note 1 Peter 1:22)

In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he explained to his young disciple that...

"the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (1Timothy 1:5)

James contrasts worldly wisdom ("not that which comes down from above, but earthly, natural, demonic") with heavenly wisdom explaining that....

"the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy (anupokritos). And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (James 3:17-18).

Godly wisdom does not pose and does not deal in deception but is honest, never pretending to be what it is not; never acting a part to gain its own ends.

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Lenski comments that...

"how Paul esteems Timothy's faith (and) considers it a model, with which sincere acts of other men's faith are compared in Paul's mind"

How would Paul characterize your faith?
Sincere or an act?

Faith (4102) (pistis) is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of belief  respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it.

Pistis is used 8 times in 2 Timothy (click to study 8 uses in 2 Ti and here for  18 uses in 1Ti)

Genuine faith faith that results in true salvation includes at least three main elements

(1) firm persuasion or firm conviction,

(2) a surrender to that truth and

(3) a conduct emanating from that surrender. In sum, faith shows itself genuine by a changed life. (Click Vine's similar definition of faith)

A sincere faith is not hypocritical and play acting but shows itself to be genuine by a changed life.

John MacArthur comments that...

Faith, like grace, is not static. Saving faith is more than just understanding the facts and mentally acquiescing. It is inseparable from repentance, surrender, and a supernatural longing to obey. None of those responses can be classified exclusively as a human work, any more than believing itself is solely a human effort.

Whittier wrote the following poem on "faith"...

"Nothing before, nothing behind,
The steps of faith
Fall on the seeming void, and find
The rock beneath."

William Barclay has an interesting description writing that

Faith begins with receptivity. It begins when a man is at least willing to listen to the message of the truth. It goes on to mental assent. A man first hears and then agrees that this is true. But mental assent need not issue in action. Many a man knows very well that something is true, but does not change his actions to meet that knowledge. The final stage is when this mental assent becomes total surrender. In full-fledged faith, a man hears the Christian message, agrees that it is true, and then casts himself upon it in a life of total yieldedness. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press) (Bolding added)

The Psalms record examples of insincerity...

Say to God, "How awesome are Thy works! Because of the greatness of Thy power Thine enemies will give feigned (Hebrew = kahas = deal falsely with someone, in this case God and the opposite of being truthful or honest; Lxx = pseudomai - utter untruth, attempt to deceive by falsehood) obedience to Thee. (see Psalm 66:3)

"Those who hate the LORD would pretend (Heb = kahas; Lxx = pseudomai - both same as verse directly above) obedience to Him and their time of punishment would be forever." (Psalm 81:15)

WHICH FIRST DWELT IN YOUR GRANDMOTHER LOIS AND YOUR MOTHER EUNICE: etis enokesen (3SAAI) proton en te mamme sou Loidi kai te metri sou Eunike: (Psalms 22:10; 86:16; 116:16; Acts 16:1)

First (4413) (protos) is used here to indicate chronology and not value or importance.

Grandmother (3125) (mamme) is used only here in the NT. Mamme corresponds exactly to our word “mamma.”

Mother (3384) (meter) defines a woman in relation to her child or children.

Eunice (2131) (eunike) means happy or good victory (happily conquering).

Jewish proverbs...

One mother achieves more than a hundred teachers.

Honor your father and mother, even as you honor God, for all three were partners in your creation.

Someone has quipped that if the three wise men had been three wise women, what would have happened? They would have asked the way, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned up the stable by putting down fresh straw, brought practical gifts and made a casserole.

Dwelt in (1774) (enoikeo from en = in + oikéo = dwell) means literally to “dwell in”, to take up residence, make one's home in or among. To live in, inhabit; dwell in. All the NT uses of enoikeo are metaphorical. 

The idea of “be at home,” defines the depth and extent to which faith has become a vital and integral part of their lives. Apply this same thought to the other things that dwell in believers in the NT -- the Word of Christ, the Spirit, God, sin.

Vine observes that enoikeo

is used, with a spiritual significance only, of (a) the indwelling of God in believers, 2Co 6:16; (b) the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Ro 8:11; 2 Ti 1:14; (c) the indwelling of the word of Christ, Col. 3:16; (d) the indwelling of faith, 2 Ti 1:5; (e) the indwelling of sin in the believer, Ro 7:17. (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson)

Here in 2 Timothy 1:5, enoikeo is used in a figurative sense meaning “to dwell in one and influence for good.” The root word oikos means “a home,” and the root verb oikeo means “to live at home” and so

"the supernatural faith resident in Timothy was at home in him in the sense that it held free sway over his life." (Wuest's Word Studies : Eerdmans). (Bolding added)

Enoikeo is found 5 times in the NAS (Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:14) and 40 times in the Septuagint (Lev 26:32; 2 Ki 19:26; 22:16, 19; Isa 5:3, 9; 21:14; 22:21; 23:2, 6; 24:1, 6, 17; 26:5, 9, 18, 21; 27:5; 32:18f; 33:24; 37:26; 40:22; 65:21f; Jer 27:11; 31:24; 42:17; 44:8; 49:1, 18; Da 9:7)

Ray Pritchard explains how this reminder of Timothy's godly legacy would have encouraged the young disciple writing that...

"We all have a heritage, a family tree. We all have a spiritual history—whether good or bad. We are Christians because someone influenced us to come to Christ. No one comes completely on his own. We all have others who make their mark on us and help us come to the place where we put our trust in Christ alone. We will be blessed and strengthened as we remember where we came from."

Paul uses enoikeo in this same chapter describing the Holy Spirit being "at home" in he and Timothy...

"Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in (enoikeo = present tense = continuously) us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you." (see note 2 Timothy 1:14).

Paul in explaining the potential believers now possess to live a new quality of life writes...

"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells (oikeo) in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells (enoikeo = present tense = continually resident, has the idea of being in one’s own home)  (see note Romans 8:11) In a marvelous and incomprehensible way, the very Spirit of God makes His home in (enoikeo) the life of every person who trusts in Jesus Christ.

Paul again uses enoikeo to explain that God's presence in us should motivate us to "cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2Corinthians 7:1). Paul writes

"Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (2Corinthians 6:16)

Paul in the last NT use of enoikeo, exhorts the saints at Colossae (and all believers) to....

"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within (enoikeo - literally "let it house in you" - a command to do this continually) you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (see note Colossians 3:16) Paul desires that the Word would be "at home" and "be given the run of the house" (so to speak). (Comment: Wuest says that "The exhortation is to the effect that the Christian is to so yield himself to the Word that there is a certain at-homeness of the Word in his being. The Word should be able to feel al home in his heart. The saint should give it unrestricted liberty in his life." (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament: Grand Rapids: Eerdmans)

Luke records that on Paul's second missionary journey...

"he came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium.  Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek." (Acts 16:1 )

In sum, sincere faith was not just an occasional visitor in Lois and Eunice,
but was a permanent resident and an abiding presence exerting its influence for good on these godly role models as well as on Timothy himself.

Timothy enjoyed the great blessing of having a godly heritage, even though it was only one parent and one grandparent who contributed.

The Word of God holds out the occupation of being a faithful wife and mother as a high and sacred calling! (see notes Titus 2:4;  2:5)

"The woman's duty is to give to a child a home of faith and to faith a home in the child. " (Hodges)

Note also that in the Roman world, fathers had absolute authority over the family, and since Timothy’s father was not a Christian, his home situation was probably less than ideal and yet God used these godly women in this "less than ideal environment" so that through them

"from childhood (Timothy came to know) the sacred writings which (were) able to give (him) the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (see note 2 Timothy 3:15)

It will be a joy to meet Lois and Eunice in Heaven in the age to come! Note that it was the faith of these two godly women that greatly impacted Timothy's life not simply their knowledge of God. Who is watching your "faith"?

Note the testimony concerning the parents of John the Baptist, Zacharias and Elizabeth who

"were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord" (Lu 1:6). (Who was watching them?)

J R Miller writes...

There is something in genealogy, after all. It is a fine thing for a young man to have had a good mother and a godly grandmother. This does not mean that a man is necessarily good because of the faith that dwelt in his grandmother and his own mother. Goodness cannot be passed down like an estate. Some very bad men have had most pious ancestry. At the same time, it is fitting when in successive generations piety is found. A young man with worthy ancestors owes it to them to be worthy. He should keep unspotted the white name he receives. We are responsible for the carrying on of the work which they have begun.

Paul was persuaded that the faith of his grandmother and mother was also in Timothy. It should always be so with young people with Christian parents. Those who have a noble inheritance, of memories, influences and teachings, should be better than those who have not had these blessings.

There is no transmigration of souls, but there is a kind of transmigration of faith, as if the very form and shape of faith, which was in Lois and Eunice, afterwards appeared in Timothy. Truly, there are certain idiosyncrasies which may pass from some Christian people to others; and when those idiosyncrasies are of a high and noble kind, it is a great mercy to see them reproduced in children and children’s children. “I thought I heard your mother speak,” said one, when she heard a Christian woman talking of the Savior, “you speak in just the way in which she used to tell out her experience, and describe the love of Christ.”

Grace does not run in the blood, but it often runs side by side with it. The “grandmother Lois” and the “mother Eunice “ had the true grace of saving faith dwelling in them, and Paul was persuaded that it dwelt in the son and grandson Timothy. (Spurgeon, C. H. Exposition)

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Charles Haddon Spurgeon the prince of preachers, telling about his grandfather in one of his sermons, said: "He had a large family and a very small income but he loved his Lord, and he would not have given up his preaching of the Gospel for anything, not even for an imperial crown. He has told me often how the Lord provided for him. He had a little farm to get his. living upon it, and he had a cow which used to give milk for his many children, and one day when he came up to the cow it fell back with the staggers and died.

"Grandmother said, 'James, how will God provide for the dear children now? What shall we do for milk?' "'Mother,' he said, 'God said He would provide, and I believe He could send us fifty cows if He pleased.' "It so happened that on that day a number of gentlemen were meeting in London, persons whom he did not know, were sitting as a committee for the distribution of money to poor ministers, and they had given it to all who had asked for any; he liked to earn his own money. He did not send in any petition or appeal. Well, after the gentlemen had distributed to all who had asked there was five pounds over, and they were considering what they should do with this balance.

"'Well,' said one, 'there is a Mr. Spurgeon down at Stambourne, in Essex, a poor minister. He stands in need of five pounds.' "'Oh,' said another, 'don't send him five pounds. I will put five to it. I know him. He is a worthy man.' "'No,' said another, 'don't send him ten pounds. I will give another five pounds if somebody else will put a fourth five to it.' "The next morning came a letter to grandfather with ninepence to pay! Grandmother did not like to pay out ninepence for a letter, but there was twenty pounds in it; and as my grandfather opened it he said, 'Now, can't you trust God about an old cow?'" How faithful God is!—Watchman-Examiner

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Jay Kesler wrote that...

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