Week 21, Day 1: Preparing to Lead

Today’s Reading:  1 Timothy 4:1-5:25

Some thoughts from Friday’s reading…

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul writes to Timothy about his responsibility in appointing men to be elders and deacons, and giving him the instruction that he needed to identify those who were qualified for these positions of servitude.  We often talk about these qualifications, evaluating men to see if they fit the requirements laid out by God through the apostle Paul.  Many people have decided that the qualifications that are given are nothing more than general guidelines, and that God never really intended for men to possess all of them.  Perhaps this is because so many people have lowered the bar when it comes to fulfilling God’s expectations that there are few people who actually fill the requirements!  However, these qualifications should be taken as just that– a list of requirements that need to be filled for a man to be appointed into the office of an overseer.

If we understand these to indeed be qualifications, then it behooves us to work to train men to be qualified for these positions!  How is there to be leadership in the Lord’s church if there are no men preparing themselves to lead?  When we take a look at these qualifications, we should realize that it will take years of dedication and conscious effort to prepare ourselves to be elders.  One will not accidentally find himself qualified without choosing to work toward the fulfillment of these requirements!

From a young age, Christian men should think about the need for them to develop themselves to be leaders in the Lord’s church.  They must work toward having all of the qualities that are described by Paul in this chapter.  That will include making good choices when it comes to the woman that he will marry, and the way in which he raises his children.  It will demand that he learn to control his own demeanor.  It will mean that he will have to work diligently to study the word of God, and develop himself to teach others.  It will mean that he will have to develop the courage that is necessary to convict those who are teaching error, and to always stand for the truth.  It means that he will have to develop a good reputation in his community, not having his neighbors speak evil of him because of the way that he acts.  These things (and the rest described by Paul in these verses) will only come through hard work and disciplined behavior.

There is certainly a need for more qualified men to serve as elders in the Lord’s church.  We must be more diligent to encourage young men to start thinking about their future responsibilities, and prepare themselves for the responsibilities of shepherding the flock of God some day!

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