A Shining Example

"But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I may also be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state." v19-20                           Philippians 2:19-24    NKJV

It's surprising to read that Paul had no one that he could trust more than Timothy. Paul considered Timothy to be his son in the faith and knew he was an extension of his ministry. Paul commended Timothy for his faithfulness; they worked together well, in fact, when Paul wasn't with him, Timothy became Paul to the people, rather like Paul was Jesus to everyone when he met them. Timothy loved the people as did Paul and, it was obvious to one and all, that he had had a good mentor. Tony Evans writes in his commentary to this piece: 'Timothy serves as a wonderful example of human servanthood.'

What a wonderful testimony to have as a person of God. How do we accomplish this? Well, one of the ways is to have a self less attitude, and we do this by putting others first, We let ourselves down by seeking approval from people when we have done a piece of work. The only approval we need is God's. If we have God's approval, then that is good enough.

Paul had mentored Timothy well but, a lot of it was down to Timothy as well. He had to be willing to listen and learn and he also needed to be willing to take second place, allowing others to do their work before he could step up to do his own. There is a time of waiting when we are at this stage; we must be willing to give the reins to others until we are considered ready to serve. This is where the self less attitude fits in.

To be a shining example, we need to allow people to notice that there is something different about us. People are desperately seeking something but, they are uncertain what it us. Therefore, they experiment with drugs, booze and wild living but, mostly they don't find it. If they can see you managing your life well they might, just might ask you how you do it. You will then have the opportunity to tell them and be Jesus to them.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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