SCRIPTURE - CENTER OF GRAVITY
1 Timothy 3
Do you find it hard to live up to expectation? More than once I was given a detailed job description that set expectations so high, with qualifications so demanding, and with job experience so extensive that no one on earth was qualified for the job. Sometimes the expectations for Christian living in the Bible can feel that way. I am a sinner. I make mistakes. Sometimes I don’t live up to the ideals I believe that God expects of me. “Oh what a miserable person I am”. In 1 Timothy 3 we are reminded of the ideals that we should try to live up to. These are God’s ideals for a faithful and mature man or woman of God. He lists qualities and behaviors we should have and habits we should avoid. We should be seeking to align our lives with these guidelines. These verses should not be read as the Old Testament laws that qualify or disqualify us from service in God’s kingdom. We should approach the guidance from Scripture as a center of gravity that draws us toward behaviors and outcomes that help others see Jesus in us.
Do you find it hard to live up to expectation? More than once I was given a detailed job description that set expectations so high, with qualifications so demanding, and with job experience so extensive that no one on earth was qualified for the job. Sometimes the expectations for Christian living in the Bible can feel that way. I am a sinner. I make mistakes. Sometimes I don’t live up to the ideals I believe that God expects of me. “Oh what a miserable person I am”. In 1 Timothy 3 we are reminded of the ideals that we should try to live up to. These are God’s ideals for a faithful and mature man or woman of God. He lists qualities and behaviors we should have and habits we should avoid. We should be seeking to align our lives with these guidelines. These verses should not be read as the Old Testament laws that qualify or disqualify us from service in God’s kingdom. We should approach the guidance from Scripture as a center of gravity that draws us toward behaviors and outcomes that help others see Jesus in us.
by Jim Roberts, Deacon
Posted in Read Through the Bible
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