Watched
1Tim.4:11-13
8-30-09
….Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. (v.12b)
Paul in writing to Timothy, and to us as well, wants us to adjust how a person lives and acts publicly and privately. Why? Because being a Christian is a call to live life in a way that demonstrates Godly guidance.
If a person sat down and read the book of Hebrews in the New Testament they would not only gain some deeper understand of the Old Testament but they would be left with a very strong impression that what Jesus has provided for humanity is a better deal than what the Israelites got in the old. Look at what was said about the Law and its effects on the people who followed it. (Deut.32:45-47; Deut.4:5-9) By their living in accord with the law the watching world would be able see that their life and their God worked.
He was real and their lives were successful because of their living right. The world is watching and so are our brothers and sisters and more than ever what they need to see is a near God to a wise person. What the heathen world is looking for is and the question they are asking is “does it work?” This is no less true today than it was in Paul’s day or in Moses’. (Let’s not forget that our Lord also watches.)
Paul tells us that our words are important, Jesus did too. Jesus told us we would be judged by them because what we speak is an indicator of what is in our hearts. (Mat.12:35-37)
Paul next tells Tim pay attention to how he is living, his life style, his behaviors. How a person conducts the affairs of their life demonstrates what governs the heart and mind. What do you think your life would look like if you were not in this country? All of us have grown up in a land that for the most part reflects the wisdom of our Judeo-Christian God. What that means is that for the most part Christians look like most of the other people around because we all grew up in middle moral America. So back to the question; what would your life look like if you lived in a heathen environment? I would hope your life would reflect the fact that you know Jesus. I hope that it does now.
Next Paul speaks of love. The truth is no one should love more deeply than a Christian. John told us that love is the litmus of our conversion, the evidence of our belonging to Christ. Love is not a cliché but a demonstratable attitude of life.
Next, depending on your translation, Paul encourages to be mindful of how you live in Spirit. Paul speaks much about this to the Romans and how the Christian is led by or influenced by the Spirit that God causes to dwell within His Children. It leads the life choices. (Rom.8:4ff)
Each of these word concepts are a lesson or two in their own, this next one is by far true to that. How we walk in faith is deeper than we might first expect and somewhere in the future it shall be addressed more thoroughly, Lord willing. Almost cryptically the writer of Hebrews says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. Hmmm. (Heb.11:1)
Purity in Paul’s last word is a word that calls for purity or clean living. Not just one of action but one of thought as well. This same word is used to describe what Jesus expects to find His Church as being – chaste. (2Cor.11:2)
In all this it is important that we each continue our transformational journey heavenward.