PASTORS' DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Jun
26

The Lords servant

Micah Simpson

Scripture
2 Tim 2:24 "The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,"
Observation
Given to Timothy, as well as all those who identify themselves as servants of the Lord, we find here basic but powerful instructions as to how we are to carry ourselves. As a leader, Timothy would be up against false teachers, and even people in the church who would only want to speculate and irritate for the sake of controversies. Timothy would have to understand how to carry himself when faced with difficult people, and these 4 qualities would prove helpful.
Application
The first is that he would "not be quarrelsome." Which means that we should not fight fire with fire, but that we should be like a good bucket of water to extinguish the fire. Paul tells us that the Lords bond servant should not argue, and seek to be in a place of constant battling over words or silly rabbit trail ideas. This only produces further problems. Nothing good will ever come about in the life of the church because of fights or arguments that lead to nothing.
The second quality, which is a good quality to have, is that we should "be kind to all." Kindness should pervade everything that we do as christians. This is true of the average churchgoing christian, and for the church leader. No one is exempt from being kind. There is no reason for any christian to be grumpy or angry or mean, we have been radically changed by Jesus Christ, and our lives should reflect the reality of being saved by Him.
The third quality is to be "able to teach." Which is a quality that is not limited to great scholars or magnificent teachers. This quality is for each and every servant of Christ. Which means that we must have a firm grasp of the word of God, that we must clearly understand the basics of the gospel message, and that we can clearly articulate these things to others. This is an area that many Christians choose to avoid, but it is absolutely essential for the spreading of the gospel message.
The fourth quality is to be "patient when wronged." You'd better believe that people are going to hurt us, and deceive us, and stab us in the back. There is do doubt about it, we will experience pain and suffering by the hands of friends, family, peers and enemies, and we must be able to exhibit patience every single time. This does not mean that we are naive or that we act like a punching bag, this means that we are slow to speak, slow to anger, that we listen, that we take slow steps and are not easily aggrivated, or quick to explode.
Prayer
I sure do desire these qualities to be evident in my life and family. If these qualities are not mine, then they will never belong to my wife or my kids. These things need to first be present within me. If I do not live these qualities, then I should not expect the leaders in the ministry to live them either. Lord please help me to be a man of God, one who is constantly growing and maturing in Christ, growing up in all things, and never letting immaturities remain in my heart or life.

Devotions for June 26

Jonah 1,2,3,4
2 Timothy 2

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