Do Not Neglect the Gift of Pastoral Ministry (1 Timothy 4:14)
In our last devotion, we received a positive command to devote ourselves to the work of pastoral ministry. Today’s verse states it negatively. It’ll help you to keep both the positive and negative in mind. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift […]
Devote Yourself to the Basics (1 Timothy 4:13)
It’s so easy to lose focus on the fundamentals, to slip into autopilot in the most important aspects of ministry. Distractions and extra commitments grow like weeds and must be regularly pulled.
Set an Example (1 Timothy 4:12)
Pastor, if you are being disrespected in your church, don’t set your people straight, set your people an example. If you want proper esteem from your people, don’t demand it; deserve it.
Command and Teach (1 Timothy 4:11)
Well, it’s Christmastime. That means extra joy and extra demands. You have your family festivities and a crowded church calendar of Advent activities ahead of you. With all of this going on, it’s easy to get distracted from your noble task. So let’s get back into 1 Timothy and consider our responsibilities to command and […]
Train Yourself for Godliness (1 Timothy 4:7-10)
We’ve been thinking about putting God’s word in front of God’s people, and the effect that sort of ministry will have on us as we are trained up in the word as a byproduct of our work. Today we’ll continue Paul’s train of thought and consider something to avoid and something to seek after aggressively. […]
Being Trained in the Words (1 Timothy 4:6b)
You think a lot about what effect your ministry has on your people. Let’s ask a different question: What effect is your ministry having on you?
Be a Good Servant of Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 4:6a)
How do you know if you’re doing a good job as a pastor? By measuring church growth? Altar calls? Sermon complements? Building projects? Pastor appreciation gifts? It’s hard to know, isn’t it? This is why pastors like mowing. You do the work and, behold, a mowed yard. Ministry just isn’t like this. You study, teach, […]
Some Will Depart (1 Timothy 4:1-5)
Pastor, there’s no way around it. Some will leave your church. Some will withdraw. Some will remove themselves. Some will fall away. It was happening in Ephesus under Timothy’s ministry and it’s likely to happen in your ministry too. Let’s listen to what Paul says to Timothy about it. It’ll help us better understand how […]