1 Timothy 5
The Basics of the Christian Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, December 28, the fourth Day of Christmas.
When I was in the Army, we would conduct the basic infantry “battle drills” all the time. The battle drills are the building blocks of individual skills and responsibilities on the battlefield—how to shoot, move, and communicate. Battle drills were drilled into us because people tend to forget how to do the basics well when under stress.
As your pastor, I need to lead you through battle drills of the Christian life, so that we do the basics well, like the golden rule of Jesus, even when we are under stress.
As I read my Bible this morning, I am reminded of the simple wisdom of getting back to the basics. Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:1-2, “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”
Here are a few basics for us to remember on how to do life:
- Do not “rebuke” (be harsh with) the elderly, but rather “encourage” them (advocate for them and build them up). Treat older men as you would your father and older women as your mother. In other words, honor the elderly in our midst for their wisdom and life experiences.
- Treat people who are your own age and younger as your brothers and sisters: ”in all purity.” In other words, do not objectify and use one another, but see the value and worth in one another as human beings and treat each other accordingly.
- We are to practice these basics continuously in the church, but we are to extend these graces to others. What a great witness that would be to our world today!
Seize the moment and get back to the basics in 2021. Practice the golden rule in every part of your life so that when stress comes, it is only love and the fruit of the Spirit that come out of you in word and deed.
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