Author: admin

It is a tremendous privilege to be able to work with other believers. When our boss is a follower of Christ, we should expect to work with someone who is fair, gracious, and demonstrates integrity. We should also expect that they respect and support our desire to live in a manner that honors Christ.

The danger is in assuming that because our boss is a believer as we are, that we do not need to work as hard or to show the same level of respect as we would for someone who did not share our faith. Unfortunately, there are times when Christians take advantage of their boss who is a brother or sister in Christ. Such employees assume that their supervisor will tolerate their mediocre performance and will not “turn” on a fellow believer.

Paul exhorted Christians to go the extra mile when working for a fellow believer. We ought to show them more, not less respect and we ought always to give our best effort on their behalf. Rather than abusing our relationship with a fellow Christian, we ought to work doubly hard to ensure our boss experiences success. We ought to seize every opportunity to bless fellow believers

What kind of employee are you? Does your manager value and trust you? Some people profess to be followers of Jesus but they leave a trail of disappointed and angry colleagues and bosses in their wake. Some employees do this because they mistakenly assume that their church building is a holy place while their job site is merely a secular venue in which they earn their living. But the reality is that our office is holy ground.

Our calling as Christians is not only to worship God. It is also to honor Him. We honor, or glorify God by the way we live. We can certainly do this as we worship God in church on Sundays. But we also do it by the way we conduct ourselves at work.

Being a child of God does not provide us license to be disrespectful or rebellious to authority. Far from it. Christians ought to understand respect for authority better than anyone. If God places someone in authority over us, we respect them, as God’s instrument in our life. We know we’ll one day give an account to God for how we treated those around us, including our boss. How have you been a blessing to those in leadership over you?

Some sins are public. Others are private. All will ultimately face the same judgment.

Public sins are obvious. They are either committed in front of others or they are exposed to the public. The consequences of such sins can be felt immediately. Public rebuke and condemnation often occur. Such sinners can lose their offices, reputation, and respect. Often visible sins must be treated severely in order to provide a deterrent to others. Those who commit sins publicly often face the consequences immediately and fully.

But there is a second kind of sin. These are secret offenses. Such transgressions can be committed behind closed doors or in our thoughts. While these sins are just as offensive to God, they may go undisclosed, perhaps throughout the sinner’s lifetime. Nevertheless, Scripture is clear: every sin will be thoroughly dealt with and punished. While some sins may lead to immediate consequences, others will not receive their full reward until the judgment. Nevertheless, we must never think we have somehow managed to sin with impunity, for God is wholly just. He would not be righteous or true to Himself if He overlooked our private sins. They are not private to Him. He knows them all! Better to confess and repent of our faults today, than to have them follow us into the judgment.

The Christian community has been muted with the misguided, but stifling injunction to not “judge” others. This has come to mean that we mind our own business, regardless of how our Christian brothers and sisters are behaving. What a sinister scheme of Satan to prevent God’s people from identifying sin for what it is!

Paul had already urged Timothy in this letter to appeal to older men as a father and younger men as brothers, but here he is clear that those deserving of rebuke should receive it! Today, churches tend to sweep sin under the rug. We don’t want to embarrass anyone and we certainly don’t want to make ourselves liable to a lawsuit! We convince ourselves that Christ’s name has already been scandalized enough by His followers so we don’t need to bring up any further issues with people.

The result is that we never address sin. A consequence of this is that people lose their dread of sin. We are so quick to put transgressions behind us and move on that sinful behavior loses its deterrence. In contrast, Paul urged Timothy to soundly and publicly denounce sinful behavior. People knew that if they strayed into sin, they would be publicly rebuked. No excuses. No glossing over. Only when God’s people become intolerant of sin will they truly become a consecrated people.

Biblically and historically, when God sought to accomplish His purposes on earth, he raised up leaders. Those who led in a Christ-like manner were powerful instruments in God’s hand. Such people would move people from where they were to where God wanted them to be.

But there is also an obligation for followers toward their leaders. Followers must show respect toward those who lead them. This must be done because disorder ensues when followers do not respect the role of those who lead them. Moreover, followers must recognize God’s activity in placing people over them. If God has placed a leader in authority over you, you need to honor God’s activity by the way you follow.

We live in an age that routinely disparages leaders. We scrutinize every fault. We diminish the role of leaders as if their contribution was no different than that of their followers. But it is. Leadership is a divinely appointed role and one to which we owe our respect.

There is a simple leadership truth found throughout Scripture and it is this: if you cannot properly care for yourself and those closest to you, you should not be entrusted with the care of others. There has been vociferous debate about whether the way we conduct our personal lives has any bearing on our eligibility for leading others. Yet Scripture is unequivocal on this point. If you are not faithful in a little, you should not be given more.

At times we can be seduced into pouring our efforts into the places where we receive the greatest accolades. We become effective problem solvers at work but frustrated critics at home. Some leaders seek to build great teams in their office but are alienated from their spouse and children. It can become tempting to give our best to those at our job and our leftovers to our family.

Scripture warns that: if we do not properly care for our family, then not only are we unworthy to be entrusted with the stewardship of others, but we also disgrace the name of our Lord. To claim to be a follower of Jesus and then neglect our family is to dishonor our Savior’s name. You may be well respected at work. But what is your reputation with your family? Even those who reject Christianity care for those families. How much more ought we, who have the love of Christ within us, provide for those God placed in our care?

There are always two ways to do everything. The correct way and the incorrect way! It is also possible to do the correct thing, but in the incorrect manner. For example,there may be times when we must point out to others where they have veered from the proper path. In such moments it can be tempting to rebuke people harshly and even to demean them for having acted foolishly. When people behave improperly, it can frustrate us or even make us angry.

Paul sent Timothy to correct improper beliefs and behavior in the church. Yet he also gave his protege wise counsel. In correcting someone older than us, we do not have to disrespect him. Rather, we can exhort him to rise to a higher level of Christian living. Likewise we can challenge younger men as brothers, younger women as sisters and older women as mothers. Sometimes it is not what we say that is as important as how we say it.

Some people are well meaning enough, but they have not yet learned the proper way to interact with people. As a result, they leave people offended rather than improved. If we are going to play a part in seeing people change, we must first love them. If we don’t speak with love, they won’t hear what we are saying.

It is human nature to be concerned about other people’s shortcomings. After all, they are so obvious. To make matters worse, other people’s faults can be truly annoying. Ultimately, however, we cannot change people, despite our heroic efforts. People must choose to change themselves.

What is important is that we take heed to ourselves. No one can change us. Only we can ensure that we become everything God intended. Likewise we must give serious, regular attention to doctrine. That is, the teachings of Scripture. All the truth in the world will not do us one ounce of good if we are unfamiliar with it. This will involve reading and study. It may involve declining to give our attention to less important matters. Giving attention to ourselves and to doctrine comes at a price.

Yet, as with all good things in the Christian life, when we heed God’s word, it brings blessing to more than just us. When we focus on God’s word, we draw other people’s attention to it as well. When we make doctrine a priority in our life, those around us give it greater attention in theirs. When we strive for godliness, others are encouraged to join us in our pursuit. Having the correct priorities is the key to achieving God’s purposes in our life.

There are infinitely valuable treasures to be found in God’s word for those who look hard and long enough. Too often we quickly skim God’s word before dashing off to our next appointment. We give Scripture a cursory glance as if we were skimming an acquaintance’s blog, and then wonder why we never “get” anything out of the Bible.

We must understand that God’s word is our life. We cannot afford to take it lightly or treat it carelessly. We must devote ourselves to understanding it deeply. That requires meditation. Meditation is when we keep a promise of God before us as long as it takes until we understand what God meant when he said what He did. We then keep that truth at the center of our attention until it has become a reality in our life.

Meditation refuses to be satisfied with simply the surface meaning and promises. It strives to gain the maximum benefit from God’s word. This takes concentration. It requires time. It demands that we put aside less important tasks. However, once we have fully grasped a truth from God’s word, everyone around us will know that we did.

We all give our attention to something. However, certain activities are of far more value than are others.

The elder Paul planned to come and instruct young Timothy personally. Until then, he gave him his sage counsel. Choose to give your attention to reading. This probably referred to the public reading of Scripture. In Timothy’s ministry, he needed to keep God’s word central. There is something powerful about God’s people hearing His word read aloud. Paul might have added: and read it confidently! The Bible ought not to be ready like any other book. It is God’s word!

Timothy was also to give attention to exhortation. That is, once we have heard what God’s word says, we ought to encourage each other to believe it and to obey it. Teaching informs us of what God said. Exhortation urges us to obey what God said.

Timothy was also to focus on doctrine. That is on the truths of God’s word. If his ministry was focused on Scripture, he would always be in a position for the Holy Spirit to use his life powerfully.

While many distractions and crises can assault us and demand our attention, we ultimately have the choice of where we give our attention. Choose to keep your focus centered on God’s word.