1 Timothy 6:6-7 - Godliness with Contentment by Susie Hale

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,”

Correctly Job declared.

We brought nothing with us into the world

And had only what mother shared.

When we are freed from this earth-suit

We take none of the riches of earth,

We enter eternity with absolutely nothing

As simple as we were at our birth.

“You can’t take it with you,” I’ve often heard quoted

But there will be something that remains.

The good deeds done by the Spirit’s power,

The souls that through our witness, God changed.

Trusting in the Lord instead of wealth

Brings contentment beyond all measure.

When we gauge our success by godliness,

We are laying up eternal treasure.

Godliness with contentment is great gain,

Trusting Him to supply all our needs,

Having food, clothing, and shelter here

Until from our earth-suits we are freed.

1 TIMOTHY 5:17 - PASTOR APPRECIATION

The pastor—the shepherd responsible for feeding and caring for the local body of believers, Jesus’ sheep. In smaller churches, this may be one man who is sometimes bi-vocational in order to meet the needs of his family. Larger congregations may have multiple pastors for students, children, worship, etc. all led by the senior “teaching pastor.” Some churches even have the luxury of a “minister of pastoral care” who takes on the hospital and shut-in visits and the calls in the wee hours of the morning from a church member with an emergency or death in the family. Churches pay them as they should because “the workman is worthy of his hire.”

However, do we honor them? I’m not only talking extra pay for extra effort, although that would be nice. Do we show them appreciation for all they do, both seen and unseen? October is “Pastor Appreciation Month” according to the greeting card department of the local Christian book store. You do not have to wait until then to let your minister know how valued he or she is to the family of God. When was the last time you sent a card or even shot an email to your pastor thanking him for ministering to you? Do you let him know when his sermon helps you to identify an area of your life that needs to brought under the Holy Spirit’s control?

People are quick to criticize pastors. We need to be just as quick to encourage them. Who pastors the pastor? I’m off my soapbox now because I need to go send a few emails to the pastoral staff at my church. I hope you will do the same.

Susie

1 TIMOTHY 4:12 - TENACIOUS FAITHFULNESS

1 TIMOTHY 4:12

TENACIOUS FAITHFULNESS

Let no man despise thy youth; 

but be thou an example of the believers,

 in word, in conversation, in charity, 

in spirit, in faith⁴¹⁰², in purity.

One of the definitions for the Greek word for “faith” in The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible is as follows:

Reliance upon Christ for salvation. Constancy in such profession.

Timothy was a young man who faced a situation in which false teachers were contradicting what he preached, and many people had been drawn away to follow after those false teachers. As a young minister, he may have felt he did not have the respect he would have if he were older. However, Paul encouraged Timothy to steadfastly trust the Lord Jesus and to be unwavering in his witness to the Gospel truth of salvation through Christ alone. Paul assured Timothy that he could exemplify being unmovable as related to his profession of faith in Jesus.

This kind of faithfulness brings Gladys Alward to mind. She was completely rejected by missionary training societies as being “too slow” to learn Chinese but was stalwart in her belief that she was to minister the gospel in China. She paid her own passage on a train that traveled through Russia during wartime in 1932 when she was only thirty years old. In Chinese culture, that is barely a teenager as far as their perception of a person of wisdom. She worked alongside an established missionary named Jeannie Lawson, until Ms. Lawson’s death. At that point, Gladys continued operating an inn they had established and telling Bible stories to the travelers. Unable to maintain the inn financially, she accepted a job as a “foot inspector” making sure young girls feet were no longer bound. Throughout her travels, she took in orphaned baby girls who were thought to be worthless in that society. She faithfully testified to the grace and power of God in many perilous situations and eventually became famous for leading 100 children to safety during war through mountains and across a river over a period of 12 days. She placed her trust completely in the Lord Jesus and continued to faithfully present the gospel no matter what.

We need to be faithful to the Lord both fearlessly and tenaciously. In order to do this, we must constantly, consistently, conscientiously rely on, place our trust in the Source from which true faith comes, the Lord Jesus Christ and Him only. 

1 TIMOTHY 4:12 - A CHOICE TO LOVE by Susan Slade

1 TIMOTHY 4:12

A CHOICE TO LOVE

Let no man despise thy youth; 

but be thou an example of the believers,

 in word, in conversation, in charity²⁶, 

in spirit, in faith, in purity.

26 – agapē – from 25, charity, dear, love

25 – agapaō – to love (in a social or moral sense)

Every time we see the word translated charity in the King James Version of the Bible it means the God kind of love, Christ-like love. It is a choice to love rather than being based on an emotional response. Paul was exhorting Timothy that even in his youth, he could be a model of the kind of love shown by the God-Man Jesus, the Christian kind of love. Paul the Apostle placed Timothy in the position of overseer to the believers in Ephesus. Paul encouraged Timothy to be exemplary in all facets of biblical godliness. He was to sparkle as one of God’s precious jewels among the believers.

I have a dear friend who is a prime example of this type of love, truly a precious jewel. Janelle had already shown me love in many ways when she came to visit me saying, “I have to apologize to you.” Incredulously I asked, “Why would you need to apologize to me?” She explained that she had loved me but not as Christ would love me. She said Jesus had asked her specifically to love me as He would, on His behalf, and she had answered yes. She has fulfilled that promise to the Lord many times over. She stayed with me in the hospital in Tulsa to give my family members an opportunity to rest and freshen up. She visited me numerous times in my apartment. Janelle even flew all the way from Arkansas to Texas to stay with me in the hospital while my friend and co-laborer, Susie, went home to prepare a place for me in her apartment. She tended to my needs with a tender care that can only come from the love of Jesus within her. When she sees me, she sees Jesus and ministers to me as if I were He. Her Christlike love is an example of how the familyship of God should behave toward one another.

Do you have a Janelle in your life? Better yet, are you being that kind of loving, consistent friend to someone else? Pray the Lord will surround and fill you with this agapē love. 

1 TIMOTHY 4:8 & 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-25 - SPIRITUAL FITNESS

1 TIMOTHY 3:16 - GOSPEL IN A NUTSHELL

The Gospel in a nutshell

Was given to Timothy by Paul.

This is the message of good news

He preached to one and all.

God came down from heaven

To earth as mortal man,

Born as a tiny baby

According to the Father’s plan.

The Spirit of the Lord upon Him

In the form of the dove, John saw.

He lived a sinless life,

Obedient to all of God’s law.

He was seen by men and angels

Performing miracles and signs.

Jesus fulfilled His earthly purpose

When for our sins He died.

Three days after the cross

God raised Him from the dead.

Many people saw Him risen,

Even eating fish and bread.

He was caught up in the clouds

Returned to the Father’s side.

By the power of the Holy Spirit,

sent in each believer to abide,

This good news was preached.

To some, it seemed strange

But many heard and believed,

Their lives forever changed.

1 TIMOTHY 3:8-13 - QUALIFICATIONS OF DEACONS

1 SAMUEL 18:1 & 3 - KNIT TOGETHER

1 Samuel 18:1 & 3

KNIT TOGETHER

 by Susan R. Slade

And it came to pass, when he had made an end 

of speaking unto Saul,

 that the soul of Jonathan was knit 

with the soul of David,

and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

Then Jonathan and David made a covenant,

because he loved him as his own soul.

The youth David had just walked out alone in the strength of his God with just a sling and five stones, slain the giant Goliath, and lopped off his head with his own sword. This instigated a mighty victory for the army of Israel who had been shaking with fear just moments before this act of faith. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, rightful royal successor to the throne of Israel, under the influence of God’s Spirit, was captivated with young David. Jonathan recognized God’s Spirit upon David. He made a covenant of friendship with David placing upon him his royal robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt. Jonathan symbolically gave his right to the throne to David that day. Read more of their story in the subsequent chapters of 1 Samuel ,including David’s vow to care for Jonathan’s descendants and his inviting the lone relative, Mephibosheth, to dine at his table and taking care of him in an era when kings routinely put the relatives of the previous royal family to death.

When I was in the hospital to have a bilateral leg amputation above the knees, my friend and facilitator, Susie, stayed with me day and night. When various hospital staff members would come in, they would ask if we were sisters. We would tell them no, and they would ask how long we had known each other. They were amazed when we explained that we had known each other only eleven months. By that point God had miraculously convinced Susie that we should be roommates after the hospital stay which she understood would be a lifelong commitment and labor of love to care for me. We finally recognized ourselves in the story of Jonathan and David and said to everyone who knew this story that we were their female counterparts. By that we meant that God had supernaturally knit our souls together. God had made us sisters despite Susie’s initial reluctance to risk becoming a caregiver again so soon after her mother passed away. She soon came to realize that I take care of her as well, and caregiving is only about five percent of our familyship. The love of Jesus can take us places we would never dream of going, but when we follow the urging of His Holy Spirit, we will be blessed in ways we could never have imagined.

Do not be afraid to engage in the love adventure of following the Father’s call to be brothers and sisters in His forever family.  These new siblings will be used by God to enrich your life and multiply His love for you. Do not be afraid to love sacrificially, giving up your own rights in favor of a brother or sister in Christ. 

JOHN 15:13 - EXTRAVAGANT LOVE by Susan Slade

Extravagant Love

By Susan Slade

John 15:13

Greater love hath no man than this,

That a man lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 5:7-8

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die:

yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

According to Jesus Himself, the ultimate outpouring of love is to give one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus did more than that. The cross was the focal point of HIStory. In reality, we were Jesus’ enemies, and yet He was willing to die to pay the ransom for the sin of all who would believe for all time. It is incomprehensible that He would do such a selfless act for the disciples He cherished, but He went beyond dying for His friends to die for sinners yet unborn. His love is beyond complete: it is extravagant, unfathomable, and indescribable. He endured the cross on our behalf to transform us into His precious jewels, His treasured possession. He erased our sin in order to adopt us into His forever family, that we could experience Him fully and worship Him eternally.

Have you personally experienced this extravagant outpouring of love? The same God who spoke the world into existence placed Himself into the limitation of human flesh so that He could die on behalf of all who would believe and trust in Him and His sacrificial death on the cross. However, God’s love does not end with Jesus’ death on the cross. On the third day, Jesus rose triumphantly from the dead, left the tomb, and appeared over the course of forty days to more than 500 witnesses. Jesus Christ is ALIVE! If you have not placed your heart in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, do so today. Then not only will your eternity be secure in Heaven, but you will experience the greatest love of all. If you are already one of the Lord’s forever family treasures, remember what your redemption cost Jesus, and celebrate His love and your freedom from sin. Celebrate the fact that He has transformed you from worthlessness to being His multifaceted jewel, reflecting His image to the world. 

1 TIMOTHY 2:5-6 - POEM

There is only one sovereign, Holy God;

And sinful people could not approach Him.

God required a perfect sacrifice,

The only way that He could accept them.

He sent His only begotten Son,

The Messiah, the anointed One,

Who offered Himself as our ransom.

To die in our place, He had come.

After Jesus became the sacrifice,

The sinless God-man crucified,

He was buried in a borrowed tomb

But was resurrected and glorified.

Now He serves as our Mediator,

Our Advocate before God’s throne.

Jesus is the only Go-between,

There is no other One.

Our sins are covered by His blood,

On our behalf, He intervenes.

When we confess our sin to Him,

He makes us righteous and clean.