An Exemplar Life
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers 1 Timothy 4:16
Timothy has been sent by Paul into the very difficult church at Ephesus. Former elders have been put out of the church community but are still influencing those in the community.
Paul tells Timothy to persevere in following his instruction and his instruction is to ‘Watch your life and doctrine closely.’ We easily pick up on the ‘Watch your … doctrine’ but not so much on ‘Watch your life …’
What good is the message if the messenger can’t bring it?
In my country of Australia, we have more people who were once in full time ministry but now out of full time ministry than we do people remaining in full time ministry. In other words we have an extremely high attrition rate. Why?
There mightn’t be one single answer but if there was, it might have a lot to do with this command to Timothy not being followed. ‘Watch your life …’
Paul has more in mind than Timothy’s integrity. A few verses earlier he wrote ‘… but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, in purity’ (4:12). He wants Timothy to ‘set an example for the believers in … life …’
Is your life an example? Are you a thankful person? Do others think of you as basically a happy person? Do others get along with you pretty easily? This is all part of being ‘an example for the believers in … life …’
Being liked or being thought of well won’t by themselves bring others to Christ but they give your words integrity. They give you the ‘right’ to speak. If our life is a shambles and a contradiction, you’ve lost that ‘right’ even before opening your mouth.
‘Watch your life …’ Look after yourself. Be a good messenger because you carry an extraordinary message.
To listen to this message, download in MP3 here.