1 Timothy 5:9-10

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9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. ~ 1 Timothy 5:9-10

Christianity places very high value on loving those who are most vulnerable. We do this in response to God's heart which has always been for the weak and the least. And, if we have been born again and we are growing in our walk with the Lord, we will reflect the Father's heart to others, especially the most vulnerable among us. 

In today's text, God gives more instruction for the widows in the church. We have already learned from the Apostle Paul that the children and grandchildren of the widow are held responsible for taking care of her. If she has no children or grandchildren, her second means of support should come from those who know her in her extended family. And only after those two options have been exhausted does a woman then become the care of the whole church body.

In the early church there were widowed women who had very important roles in the church. These women were called on to several different types of ministries wherein they would help the needy in the church. Many would counsel the younger women and others would help with the children's ministry in the church. And, even then, many would help with the abandoned children in their city, in this case, Ephesus. 

You see, in those days children were often abandoned and someone would have to take them in and care for them or else the boys would be taken into the gladiator training program, and the young girls would be taken in by some prostitute who would raise them to eventually be prostitutes in one of the many local brothels.

In today's text we are given the qualifications for these widows.  In v.9 we read, "No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband."

The first qualification is that they are at least sixty years of age. In that day sixty was the age of retirement. The idea was they would be very unlikely to remarry and they would be able to throw themselves into this much needed ministry. Of course, if the ministry was not their desire, they were not forced into the ministry.

The second qualification given in v.9 she is to have been a one-man woman. The construction of this verse doesn’t mean that she’s only been married once because as we read in v.14, it was no sin for a younger woman to want to remarry. A one-man woman is a woman who was devoted to the man to whom she was married. She was not known to have run around on her husband. Divorce did not disqualify her for this type of ministry.

In v.10 we are given a third qualification. It reads, "She is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds." 

She had a reputation for good works and of excellent character. This is the kind of woman the early church put on the list because this is the kind of woman one would want all the rest of our women to be. 

Her qualities had been demonstrated in her home while raising her children and showing hospitality to those who needed lodging. She was known to wash the feet of those who would come to her home. She was a woman who is not above the most humble menial service rendered to someone else. She spent her life helping people at personal inconvenience with humility.

It is no wonder that those who walk closest to the Lord are used in the best ways in the lives of others. As we choose to give our hearts to Him daily, He is faithful to give us His heart for Him and others, especially those who can not repay us. This is the essence of true ministry. Ministry is finding creative ways to love people in practical ways.

It is often that the injured injure others. This makes sense and is common. What is not common is when the injured bless others. This is the work God. Only God can teach us to turn a pain into a blessing. This is the practical application of His cross to our perception of life. When God invited us into His presence, He made it possible for us to witness His reality. He experienced pain, the worst pain, so that we could see the blessing in the pain. A wounded heart makes for effective ministry because it knows the healing touch of its Savior.

1 Timothy 5:5-8

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5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ~ 1 Timothy 5:5-8

Today, we come back to the Apostle Paul's instructions to Timothy regarding widows. Whereas in our last blog, he addresses children and grandchildren taking care of their widowed mother or grandmother, today we turn our attention to those who are widowed and have no-one to help them, not even children or grandchildren.

In v.5 we read, "The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help."

The Apostle uses the Greek word elpizō here which is the verb meaning, “hope in God.” This verb is written in the perfect tense, meaning, she not only is in a continual condition of being without but she is in a continual condition of presenting herself to God as her only hope. She has the attitude of cemented hope in God. She has no one to care for her and she has fixed her hope on God. God is saying here to us that we are answerable to Him to help her as she looks to God to supply her needs.

This lady's hope is in God who has specifically promised in His word to meet her every need. She understands that God will use all kind of means to supply her need. She knows that God may even use the Church to do so, but her trust is in no man, she trusts the Lord completely. And, she knows that when things get "iffy," this is just another opportunity for God to show Himself strong in her life. 

Rather than being focused on her needs being met, she is being trained by God to look for Him and see Him with her heart. The result is knowing God first-hand and as He meets her needs in very creative ways, she discovers He is the One who meets her needs and, as a result, she gets to know Him more intimately.

She is most blessed, even though she is most needy, because her trials force her to seek and rely upon God. She prays or talks to God regularly and she is learning to give her heart to Him more readily because He is trustworthy and He is truly the One who meets her needs.

In v.6 we read, "But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives." This verse literally reads, "the living for pleasure one living is dead." 

In other words, the one who gets newfound freedoms and she lives for her own ease and satisfaction and indulgence, she may be living physically but she is dead spiritually. Learning to trust God is the ultimate for her. Those who do not learn to trust in the Lord do not trust Him for His guidance. They don’t depend on God. They have no heart of devotion to Him, no love for Him, no dependence on Him, no desire to obey Him, but rather they live for pleasure. 

Now the Greek term used for pleasure here in v.6 is a very rare verb which means to plunge into wastefulness. It means to lead a life much like that of the Prodigal in Luke 15. The word includes the idea that she disregards what is right. To lead this type of life of pleasure describes one who is self-indulgent. She is not living as if she were a believer. The church is under obligation according to the Word of God to be of help to this kind of widow.

In v.7 we read, "Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame." 

The church should be a model of virtue in this area, leaving no legitimate fault to be exploited by the critics. The reputation of the church is at stake in this issue. And, the church is to be blameless in caring for widows who are widows without support and who walk with the Lord.

In v.8 we read, "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 

The Apostle Paul states in v.8 negatively what he said in v.4 positively. In v.4 he said, "children take care of your parents." Here in v.8, he adds to v.4 by saying, "if you don’t take care of your parents and your family, you’re worse than an unbeliever." 

The fact that he said it in v.4 in a positive way and now says it in v.8 in a negative way leads me to believe that there were a lot of violations of this in Ephesus, and the level of Paul’s exasperation was rising and rising because so many people were violating the biblical ethic toward women in need. We should not be so engaged in ministry to others that our own family is neglected.

Now, the Apostle doesn’t mean we personally lose our salvation. How can we lose that which we never earned? What he means is we deny the biblical principle of compassionate love that is at the very heart of the Christian faith when we neglect our elderly parents and our family.

Finally, let me return to the "fixed hope of the widow." Without trials we do not get to this point. We are actually most blessed when we are going through a trial of some sort, especially if it is the means by which we are pursuing God more aggressively. C.S. Lewis said it well when he wrote, "The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation."

1 Timothy 5:3-4

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3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. ~ 1 Timothy 5:3-4

The God of the Bible has always had a heart for the least and the vulnerable. Throughout the Bible we see God caring for the alien, the outcast, the poor, the fatherless, and the widowed. This is one of the many measurements of the purity of God's love. He is by nature loving and when we access His love, it begins to define us. And, it is at this point that we will reflect Him in the way we treat others.

In Psalm 68:5 we read, "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." 

It is the Father heart of God that makes Him quick to protect the widows and orphans who have lost those who once protected and provided for them. In Deuteronomy 27:19, we discover there awaits for those who abuse widows a curse from God. In Exodus 22:23 when widows cry out to God for help, God says, “I will hear your cry.” God knows and always comes to the assistance of such who are in need and cry out to Him.

In v.3 of today's text we read, "Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need."

We are most like God when we care for those who have lost their husbands due to death, desertion, abandonment, imprisonment or divorce. The fact is they are alone and in need of financial help. To give proper recognition to the widows means to honor them, to show them our respect, to show them our care, and to give to them our support.

In v.4 we read, "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God."

It is the responsibility of children and grandchildren to support their widowed mother or grandmother. The family has the first responsibility to take care of widows before they’re ever put on the church’s list of responsibility. As we have pointed out before, the family is the context where true spirituality is revealed. 

Henry Scougal once wrote, "The worth of a soul is measured by the object of its love." When a child or a grandchild takes care of their widowed mother or grandmother who are needy, it pleases God when we take care of them. 

In Hebrews 11:6 we read, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The word “faith” is the noun form of the word “believe” or “trust.” Thus, pleasing God is inextricably bound to trusting Him. Pleasing God is the result of trusting Him. There is nothing that we can “conjure up” to please Him that is not based upon who He is and what He has already done in and through His Son. 

We please God by choosing to trust Him. When our main drive becomes growing in trust, a whole new world opens to us. We get to exhale, trusting that He has made us acceptable in His Son. We can finally rest, knowing that we are fully loved and accepted. Incredibly, when trusting God becomes our primary motive, it allows us to run like we couldn’t before. This is no hamster wheel. This is a joyful race because it fuels us and fills us. And, this brings pleasure to God.

In 1 Timothy 2:3-4 we read, “3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 

The same word used for pleases in this verse is also used in our text for today. The desires of God unveil His pleasure which is to save the lost. This desire led Him to provide His Son as the ransom for all who are helpless and hopeless, and that is all of us. We are most like Him when we find great pleasure in rescuing the destitute. Of course, we rescue the destitute best when we are sharing the gospel of His Son with them because His provision not only provides for them now but also, and most importantly, for eternity. 

1 Timothy 5:1-2

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1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. ~ 1 Timothy 5:1-2

False teaching had found its way into the first century church in Ephesus. Legalism had led many astray. Selfish men and obnoxious women were wreaking havoc during times of worship. Relationships were a mess between children and their parents, servants and masters, men and women, the young and the old. Sinful lifestyles were allowed and were ruining everything. Godlessness threatened to destroy the young church in Ephesus.

Throughout this first letter written by the Apostle Paul to his young disciple, Timothy, Paul elevates the utter importance of relationships by offering godly wisdom on how they should work. If we do not have natural and loving relationships wherein respect reigns, sin will run rampant and lives will be destroyed. This is one of the many reasons God chose to live inside the believer through the Holy Spirit, to aid us in dealing with the various issues that come up in life.

In the first half of v.1 we read, "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father."

How we view others is generally the way we treat them. But, this should not be so among believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. There should be no caste system among believers because the ground is level at the foot of the cross. God is so clear in His word on how we should relate with and to one another. In fact, the first of the second group of commands in the Ten Commandments is: Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 

Very few understand that God gave us the fifth command for our benefit and well-being. You see, if we were taught to respect our parents when we were young, we will not have any difficulty respecting anyone who happens to be in the position of authority in our lives. When we were young, having been trained in the culture of God, the basic approach to get life right was born and we were given the basic infrastructure in our souls to deal with the problems that come along with living. If we do not have God's infrastructure, well, life is going to be a bit more difficult.

In v.1 of today's text, there are two principles given. The first is respect for our elders and the second is accountable for a lifestyle that is not in line with God's definitions of things. The believer in Christ has the responsibility within the family of God to go to a sinning brother and lovingly confront him with his sinful lifestyle. The goal is not to show the sinning brother up, the goal is to lovingly get him back on track with God's definitions of all things. We are to confront the sin with determination and the sinner with respect. God expects the young brother in the Lord to confront the older brother as he would his father, with respect and humility.

In the latter part of v.1 we read, "Treat younger men as brothers." Further, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to view young men as though they were his brothers. Young men are not to be our rivals or enemies; they are our brothers. Our brotherly relationships should be one of openness, honesty, respect and concern for each other. When we see young men as brothers in the Lord, we will treat them as such.

The real issue is this: will we be defined by man's ways or God's ways? Within the believer in Christ a war is being waged which is not being waged inside the nonbeliever. In Galatians 5:1 we read, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." 

When you and I became believers in Christ, His presence through the Holy Spirit came into our lives. Now, we have the ability to know and walk in God's ways. We are learning that the Christian life is not about following rules, it is about this newfound relationship that we have with God, wherein we are learning His heart of goodness for us. And, this growing understanding of God will translate itself in the way we treat others.

In v.2 we read, "Treat older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." God is clear throughout the Scriptures, young women are to be protected in purity. There is nothing more as evil and wicked as a man taking advantage of a younger woman. It is hard to take advantage of a woman whom we see as our mother or as our sister. This is why the Apostle tells us that whoever deals with younger women, they are to deal with them as a sister, in purity. 

This word "purity" is only used twice in the New Testament and both times are in the book of First Timothy (4:12; 5:2). This word brings with it the sense of “sexual purity.” This is another of those areas where, if we were not trained in the thinking and ways of God when we were younger, it will show up in this area. There is a connection between being trained in the wisdom of God and avoiding sexual sin. We all share a void in our souls that the culture of this world will lead us to think that will be filled by sexual intercourse, but real intimacy is feeling without touching.

In the Song of Solomon there is an admonition given three times (2:7, 3:5, 8:4) by the soon to be bride to her female companions: it reads, "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases." In other words, "Do not artificially stimulate romantic involvement; it will come in the context of marital commitment. In the meantime, relate to one another as brothers and sisters. That gives an opportunity to really learn who people are, without the blindness that accompanies sexual attraction.

Finally, when time began, God said it was not good for us to be alone (Genesis 2:18). So He gave us relationship. The Bible shows us what our relationship to God is meant to be and how we can have that kind of relationship with Him. It shows us how we should interact and treat our fellow man. This is what makes Christianity unique. The God we worship wants a personal relationship with us! And, it is out of our relationship with God that we learn best how to relate with others.

1 Timothy 4:15-16

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15 Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. ~ 1 Timothy 4:15-16

Today, we come back to the Apostle Paul's notes on how to be the best leader. In v.15 he writes, "Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks." Literally it reads, “Be in your God-given tasks and be  totally absorbed in God's call on your life." There can be no success in our involvement in what God is doing in this world without total dedication to His calling on our lives.

The purpose is given in the last part of v.15, "so that everyone will see your progress." 

This word, "progress," is given commentary in Colossians 1:29 which reads, “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” Any spiritual progress that we experience must always be attributed to the Holy Spirit for it is He who enables the believer to do the humanly impossible. And, since it is humanly impossible, God gets the credit for the success.

In v.16 we read, "Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you."

The Apostle draws our attention to these two things, "Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching." Before we teach we must be taught. But, we must remain realistic for perfection is not attainable. Perfection is the standard for God will never challenge us to pursue anything less.

But, that is the beauty to all of this: only the Lord Jesus has ever accomplished perfection and He has all the answers that we all desire. This is where our authenticity is honed. As we attempt to attain perfection, we are clearly reminded that we are incapable. At this point the leader is honest with those whom He leads. It is at this point that the leader must be clear by sharing how He relied upon the Lord and when we are most reliant and dependable, the Lord is at His best. This is the message of all of the Scriptures since the Fall of Man. We can't but He can.

In the last half of v.16 we read, "Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you." The salvation that Paul is writing about here is not justification. No, it is sanctification, it is the process that we entered after we believed in the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin.  

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved in order to know Christ and to help others come to know Him. It is in the process of knowing Him that we learn His way of thinking and living. The Scriptures call this sanctification. Our commitment to the truth moves us along the persevering path of sanctification and makes us a blessing to all who would hear His message through us.

Today's text does not teach salvation by works. There is no thought here or any other passage in the Bible of earning anything from God. What this passage teaches is that we who are saved by grace through faith will give evidence of God's work in our lives by persevering in our faith in Him. Paul gives assurance of our eternity in heaven through the power and grace of God to keep us in Christ faithful to the end of time.

Christlikeness is not produced by imitation but by inhabitation. The mystery is Christ in us, the hope of glory. He lives in us through the abiding Holy Spirit. No other movement claims the living presence of its founder in his followers. The role the follower of Christ plays in all of this is we give Him the freedom to live His life in, to, and through us. This is the exchanged life, He took all of our sinfulness and He is giving us all of His goodness. This is what enables the yielded believer to be the effective leader that Paul describes in this passage.

Real leaders are convinced and are convincing. They have bought in to His calling on their lives. And, in order to convince others to embrace their calling, the leader invests wholly by giving himself wholly to the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:13-14

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13 Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. ~ 1 Timothy 4:13-14

In our text today, the Apostle Paul continues to inform us of the techniques of an effective leader. No one can lead others to a place he has never been himself. Of course, Paul wrote these principles to Timothy, a leader in the church at Ephesus, but they are applicable to any leader in any context.

In v.13 we read, "Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church." 

The effective leader knows what he believes and where he is going. The phrase "focus on" means "devote yourself to, or "be absorbed in." Leaders are to be read by the scriptures as each one reads them. In other words, where we find discrepancies between our lives and the word of God, the word of God must win. Being defined by God enables the leader to be such. It is the word of God which gives the leader the direction he needs.

As clearly indicated here by the Apostle, the word of God must be central to our calling, not just our teaching. As Moses said in his last address to the children of Israel, the word of God must be our life. The phrase, "focus on reading the Scriptures to the church" literally should read, "focus on (the) reading (of) the Scriptures to the church." 

During every service in the early church, there was a time for the reading of the passage of Scripture for that day. Along with the reading came an explanation of the passage. To "focus on the reading" meant there would be careful exposition of the passage in a verse by verse way. 

In Romans 10:17 we read, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Central to the development of our heart's ability to hear and see God is the word of God, the spoken word of God.

The word “encouragement” in v.13 brings forth the idea that the application of the Word to the lives of the people must be in clear focus. The leader is to read the Word, explain it, and apply it. The Apostle uses the Greek word didaskalia at the end of v.13, translated "teaching them." 

Didsakalia was the term used in ancient times to describe the work a playwright teaching his chorus and actors the play. In Paul's usage of this word, it included the teachings that one had garnered from the Lord as he read and walked with the Lord through the application of His word in his life on a daily basis. The natural outflow of being taught by the Lord led to being able to show to those being taught what the application of God's Word looks like in real life.

In v.14 we read, "Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you."

Every believer in Christ has been given at least one spiritual gift. That gift is the channel by which the Holy Spirit ministers through us to others. The various spiritual gifts are listed in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4:10-11. These gifts are divine enablements through which the Holy Spirit builds up, equips and motivates the church to do God's work on this earth. The Spirit of God gives those gifts to us as He sovereignly chooses. We do not choose our own gifts.

Timothy’s spiritual gift was the gift of teaching the Word of God. According to Acts 16, there was a prophecy given, and the Spirit of God spoke that Timothy was "set aside for the preaching and teaching of the Word." It was much like what happened in Acts 13 when the Holy Spirit said, “Separate to me, Saul and Barnabas, for the work that I have for them.”

In ministry, there will always be days that we will want to give up and throw in the towel. This is part of being the kind of servants God wants us to be. God allows and sometimes causes the difficult and discouraging times to elevate His Word in our lives to us. He does this so that when we gain His wisdom as we listen to His Word, we will discover how to navigate life best. This is a necessity for helping others in life. 

As we grow in our ability to hear His Word, we are then granted the ability to see the inner workings of situations so that we might make strategic decisions rather than simply react. We then are positioned to communicate the knowledge and wisdom God has given us to navigate through our trials. This then positions us to be authentic, causing others to follow accordingly.

As the Word of God gets a hold on us, we discover how to lead in such a way that benefits others best. This happens as we, ourselves, are led by God through the trials life with the Word of God being the primary operating tool in the hand of God. In it all, if we let Him, He will train us to be the leaders we never thought we could be.

The result is usefulness. Once we are reduced to the point of wanting nothing more than the Potter's touch, we will be in the daily process of being molded. And, as we continually come to the end of self, we are privileged to watch Him more intimately involved in our lives with the passing of time. God's involvement in our lives leads us to some form of a more permanent yieldedness. And, it is out of this context that we discover such marvelous truths like: "In my weakness He is strong." 

 

1 Timothy 4:12

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Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. ~ 1 Timothy 4:12 

We were all created with two basic, yet, profound needs: to be loved and to love. When we are loved we garner a certain measure of security which enables us to overcome the things we do to get the approval of others. And, of course, the source of said love is of utmost importance. The more we understand God's love for us, the more secure we will be.

When we are loving others we gain a certain measure of significance. The ability to love others without them loving us in return is the essence of freedom and authenticity.

In our text today, the Apostle reminds us that the single greatest tool of effective leadership is the power which comes through a yielded life to God. Of course, when we experience the influence of God in our lives, it is His power that comes through via the presence of the Holy Spirit residing in our spirit. 

Before the Lord Jesus went to the cross He said to His followers: “I will not leave you helpless orphans.” The Lord Jesus knew His disciples would be able to do nothing for themselves in the spiritual realm, therefore, He provided us the Holy Spirit who expresses the Lord Jesus in, to, and through the yielded believer's life. 

The Lord gave us the Holy Spirit so that we could receive the life of the Lord Jesus. And, when we yield ourselves to Him, He will enable us to recognize the purpose behind weakness, pain and suffering, which is to reveal His person and power.

In the first part of 1 Timothy 4:12 we read, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young." None of us can ultimately determine what others think of us, yet, we do not have to let them define us. Any weakness we experience is useful to the All Powerful One for in our weakness He is strong. Our weaknesses remind us to be defined by God. This is the essence of the first part of today's text.

When Timothy joined the Apostle Paul during his second  missionary journey, he was probably in his early to mid-twenties. The Apostle Paul probably penned this first letter to Timothy about fifteen years later. So, it is very likely that Timothy was in his late thirties at the time of receiving these instructions from Paul. In those days, and in their culture, one had to be at least forty in order to be respected by those who were older. Timothy had his work cut out for him, unless he was being defined by God.

In the middle portion of 1 Timothy 4:12 we read, "but set an example for the believers." Literally, the Apostle wrote, "but a pattern be for the believers." The word used here for “example” means to have the imprint of God on one's life. 

In the Scriptures, the Lord often uses the illustration of the Potter to describe Himself and He uses the clay pot to describe us. The idea is He is the One who fashions and molds us, if we let Him. This is always His goal, to express Himself to and through the yielded believer.

When the Potter applies the pressure to the clay pot, His goal is always the expression of Himself. When the clay pot allows the Potter to do His work, even though it is uncomfortable, in the end, the Potter forms a worthy pot that will be converted over and over as others are blessed by its usefulness. 

There are two things the Apostle tells Timothy to do and both are highlighted by two similar sounding words: let, and set. "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers." 

The Apostle reminds us to allow His imprint in our lives and to let it show in two specific areas: in our speech and in our lifestyle. Then the Apostle gives three qualities which ought to come through in our speech and lifestyle: love, faith, and purity. 

The first is love. The word the Apostle uses here for love is agape which is the word for commitment or willful delight in the object of one's love. Agape is sacrificial love which voluntarily suffers inconvenience, discomfort, and even death for the benefit of another without expecting anything in return. Agape is always shown by what it does. God’s love is displayed most clearly at the cross.

The second quality the Apostle highlights here is faith which is best translated faithfulness or trustworthiness or loyalty. Faithfulness drives home a consistent trust that others find easy to follow. And, of course, this begins with the leader giving his heart to the Lord daily. Then, by the end of the day, the leader will recognize that the imprint of God was on his life.

The third quality the Apostle highlights here is purity. The Apostle uses the Greek word hagneia to explain purity in the sexual arena. The Ephesians had a distorted view of love due to their culture which was largely defined by the goddess Diana. At the Temple of Diana, sexual immorality was an acceptable form of worship. The teachings of Diana ignored God's definition of sex, to be a physical expression of oneness with one's husband or wife. God gave sex to enhance the marriage. And, without commitment, sex takes on a totally different role in a relationship between two people.

When someone engages in sex outside of the commitment of marriage, it will not take long for them to discover that sex can be destructive. Improper sex is addictive and like all addictions, the more that you do it, outside of marriage, the less payoff there will be. Sex then becomes less powerful and therefore less pleasurable. However, sex within marriage becomes sweeter and more powerful because it is more about giving than receiving. Sex within the marriage is a powerful statement of exclusive commitment and faithfulness to the other person.

Finally, even though Timothy was a young leader, God equipped him to be a great leader. And, the way anyone becomes a great leader is by recognizing the Lord Jesus is the secret to our success as long as he is being defined by Him.