Thoughts for another day

Nov. 11, 2013.

Today's verse: 1 Tim. 1:5. But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. (NRSV – copyright ack.)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

There’re many in the world who move about being engaged in the business of the Kingdom of God.  The question is how to detect whether they’re truly those that love the Lord and do exactly what He wants them to do or in their arrogance and pride, try to give a doctrine which lacks the basic dictum of Christ centeredness.  There’re men and women out there who profess to take the Gospel of our precious Savior Jesus Christ to the whole world but their Gospel is an amalgamation of human thoughts and mixed with the Name of the Lord, only to make it sound authentic.  The purpose of their preaching is for their own gain and eschews the glory of God.

Therefore, Paul in our Scripture today cautions Timothy, whom he considers as his child in Christ and exhorts him to instruct the preachers of that time to know that the instruction he has comes from a pure heart; a heart suffused with Christ; and His mission must overflow with His unyielding love for those who’re called and chosen by Him to do the work they need to do on earth. 

Paul further says that the instruction must be from a good conscience, not sullied by things of the world nor the contagion that these things can pull from the dirt traps in the world.   Besides, he also says that all exhortation and instruction must arise from a sincere faith.  I completely agree because if you have no faith in God, then how can you boost the faith of others in Him.  Whatever our Scripture notes above is the essence of the Christian’s belief and ethos in God.  Any instruction we, if we’re called to give, must arise from these basic building blocks of God’s Kingdom, for only then will we have ‘God’ in His kingdom, else it will just be empty rhetoric where one may be able to draw people but there will be nothing of God in it.