1 Timothy 4:12 (Devotion)

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

You are never too young to be used by God. That was the instruction the apostle Paul gave to his #1 gun, Timothy, as he was charged to lead the church in Ephesus. And that is the reminder we all need to be cognizant of not only in how we minister, but how we allow others to minister to us. Based on the apprentice-type role Timothy held under Paul one would assume he was in his early twenties, but various commentaries calculate Timothy's age around thirty years old at the time of this letter, which is surprising compared to what many of us would have assumed. It is true that wisdom typically comes with age for Job 12:12 affirms, "Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days." However, it is imperative additional Scripture verses be considered when evaluating the correlation between age and wisdom. For example, Solomon was anointed king approximately at the age of twenty. And when given the opportunity to receive any gift God graciously agreed to bestow upon him, Solomon chose understanding (1 Kings 3:5-9). His youthful age was not a detriment to his decision-making capability, and he was subsequently blessed as a result. The greater emphasis Paul makes to Timothy centers around how he lives out his faith as pastor. Timothy's conduct is paramount to ensuring others do not look down upon him in a condescending way and leverage his age against him. The same is true for us. We are called to not only hear the Word of God but actively apply and implement it in our daily actions so as not to deceive ourselves (James 1:22). Therefore, age is not the primary focus of attention in Paul's instruction but the quality of his leadership by example. It is not surprising that the initial focus of Paul's attention is speech, for as the book of James warns, "The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God" (James 3:6,9). Therefore, we must guard the words which flow out from our mouths just as Jesus instructed His disciples. "It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person" (Matthew 15:11). In addition, we must choose our words carefully so we might encourage and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11) rather than tear one's character and countenance down.

It is imperative to note that speech derives from the heart and that the purity Paul is instructing Timothy to exude comes from a heart which longs for righteousness. We do not want to fall into the same trap the prophet Isaiah warns about. "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Isaiah 29:13). Therefore, we must ensure our motivations align with God's will, for only He is sovereign and can do all things according to His perfect plan. We must also allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out (Matthew 23:25-26) so our words and actions are pure and holy. They derive from the central location of our spirit (our heart) and therefore communication love, faith and purity if indeed we are born-again and sanctified in the image of Christ. This has been God's design from the beginning for Scripture reminds us, "Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright" (Proverbs 20:11). Consequently, Scripture exhorts God as our ultimate source of wisdom and understanding. "Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds" (Psalm 36:5). Moreover, God provides the definition for what love truly is in 1 John 4:7-21 and then calls us to be examples of love to our world by adhering to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). In other words, if we do not believe by faith that Jesus died for our sins we will never know how to love, for love is from God and is God. And if we do not know how to love others through the love of Christ, our motives will impure, directly affecting our speech and actions. Therefore, what is the prescription for such an ailment? James 2:17 teaches, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead," meaning our obedient display of works reflect an inward decision and commitment to righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). Therefore, in order to make the greatest impact for the kingdom of God, we must live out our faith by humbling ourselves and allowing our lives in Christ to speak for themselves. Age is not the issue to worry about as Paul reminds us. Rather, how we live our lives for Christ truly is. "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 12:35).