Daily Scripture
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”
1 Timothy 3:1-7
Daily Devotion
As Christains we are called to sanctification, growing to become more like Christ. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 demonstrates qualities of one pursuing sanctification. While this chapter is talking to overseers of the church, I can’t help but see that these qualities are ones that every christian should strive and want to be. As a Child growing up, after I got over my terrible twos, I would consider myself as the “good” girl who didn’t want to get into any trouble. For that to happen, I looked up to individuals who I saw these qualities in. Reading through this chapter, the first person that comes to my mind would be my dad. My dad is a man of Faith who has taught me how to act, how to manage myself, and made me an independent woman. Seeing the way my father upheld the qualities talked about here in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 makes me a very thankful and blessed daughter to a father here on earth.
Today, it is very easy to talk the talk but not always as easy to talk with our actions. In this chapter, we see a lot of actions that are talked through, “not violent but gentle, respectable, hospitable”. Throughout my childhood, I was reminded by my parents that your actions speak louder than your words and how you act could be the way someone around you perceives Jesus. My dad coached and taught a lot of the sports teams I was on growing up and he reminded me how work can make a difference in your performance in each sport. Just as he taught that, he taught the same with the Word of God. If we want to be the light, we must learn it and practice it. As my dad always said, “practice as you play” and you will become the one you want to be.
Heather Parr