Today’s
Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:6-10
If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good
minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good
teaching that you have followed. (Vs 6)
Words
of Devotion
It is necessary that we clearly understand the phrase
Paul uses about Timothy. When he calls him a good minister of Christ Jesus, he
is not thinking of him as a member of the clergy, like we would think of the
pastor of a church standing up in front of a congregation. The word that is
used here is actually the word deacon rather than minister--a good deacon of
Jesus Christ. Even then the word is not referring to Timothy as an officer of
the church; rather, it is the word that is commonly translated many places in
Scripture as a servant. That is what a deacon is--one who serves. Here Paul is
using the word in the widest sense possible--a good servant of Jesus Christ. Of
course, in that sense servant includes everyone. All of us are called to be
servants of the Lord Jesus.
In order to be a good servant of Jesus Christ, the
apostle says you need certain things; and the first admonition Paul gives
Timothy is, Watch what you are feeding on! Be nourished on the words of the
faith and the good doctrine that you have followed.
What are you nourished by? That is the question this
passage raises before us. What do you feed on daily? What do you put in your
mind? What is your habitual input in your life? The sports pages,
perhaps soap operas, the Dow Jones Averages, TV, the movies, best-seller
novels? If any of those things are your daily diet, then I can guarantee you
will be a spiritually undernourished servant of Jesus Christ, because the
apostle makes clear that what you feed on is what is going to determine how
effective you become.
I do not want anyone to eliminate any of those things
as though they are wrong. Not one of them is wrong in itself. We are not to
eliminate them, but we are to regulate them. That is the point Paul makes.
Regulate them as things that can be very dangerously distracting to us and
often too easily controlling of our thoughts.
The apostle urges Timothy to give himself instead to
what really feeds his spiritual life. What do you essentially need? Paul tells
us: the truths of the faith and of the good teaching [doctrine]. Do not be
afraid of the word doctrine; it means teaching--the teaching of the truth, the
reality of life. That is what Christians need.
Notice how Paul combines two important elements:
knowledge and decision. He says you need the good, sound words of the faith and
good, sound teaching, and you are to follow them. First you learn, and then you
do what it says. That is the formula for a good servant of Jesus Christ--giving
yourself to nourishing yourself on the Word of God, feeding upon these things
and then following them.
Today,
we gravitate to titles that seem to elevate our importance or prestige. Are we
learning the true dignity of fulfilling our call to have a servant's heart,
whatever our role?
Prayer: Lord,
teach me to be a person of faith today; give me a faith that acts, a faith that
rises up and obeys what You tell me to do. Amen
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