You never know...
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that Christianity is soft. You’ve heard people say that Christianity is simply a crutch for the weak. The truth is that following Christ requires incredible resolve. If you feel like you’re in a season where you really need encouragement, I hope I’ve given you a course of actionover the last several posts to help you remain steadfast in your faith. God intends for the members of the body to encourage one another. We should all be pouring into someone and have someone pouring into us. But what do you do if that’s not happening right now? Are you the one giving, yet hungry for someone to do the same for you?Paul wrote to Timothy and told him what to focus on while he waited for Paul to arrive. These same instructions can be applied to us as we wait for God to provide a Paul for us. What blew me away when I studied 1 Timothy 4:15-16 was the intensity of Paul’s words. He told Timothy to immerse himself in the teaching and using of his gifts. Paul required the younger disciple to keep a close watch on himself and his teaching, and to persist. The truth is that many of us do more dabbling in our gifts than immersing. We often find it easier to give up without even seriously considering the need to persist, especially when it comes to holding ourselves accountable.Over the last two weeks, we’ve seen the need to be wise, be focused, and be brave. As important as all of those instructions are, they will have little impact if we don’t choose to...
Be committed
Timothy is being reminded of what we, too, need to remember: we have to be all in. We have to be committed because there’s a lot at stake. Our obedience makes an eternal difference.In the context of the passage, Paul tells Timothy why he should persist and be found faithful:
It will “ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.“
Whether we realize it or not, as we persist, as we immerse ourselves, as we stay focused, as we decide to just jump in and be brave, God is using the seeking to keep us close to Him. Then, by His complete grace, He somehow takes our little, insufficient human effort and anoints it to be used to draw others into a relationship with Him. Our pursuit of Him is not in vain. Our persistence impacts those who hear us.My prayer is for each one of you, that you would be blessed with a physical “Paul” in your life. As we wait, may we remember that God has given each of us the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth. We are not powerless as we wait.
- Be Wise.
- Be Focused.
- Be Brave.
- Be Committed.
God will be faithful. twitter | facebook