Jump Start # 557

1 Timothy 4:15 “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”

In our verse today, the apostle Paul is giving instructions to the young preacher Timothy. The context reveals things that Timothy should avoid and it encourages him to grow stronger in the Lord. Spiritual strength is something that God wants from all of us. The Ephesians were told to be strong in the Lord. The Corinthians were told to act like men. Strength wins in about all things.

A strong basketball team has a better opportunity of winning than a weak team. A strong candidate has a better chance of being elected than a weak candidate. A strong building will withstand storms better than a weak building. Strong backs, strong hearts and strong convictions are what keeps things going. Weak minds, weak faith and weak resolves tend to fold under pressure and compromise what they once believed in. Jesus rebuked the disciples on four different occasions for having “little faith.” That’s the same as weak faith. Be strong. We need strong fathers who will defend their families. We need strong leadership in the church that will not turn at every complaint. We need strong pulpits that sound out the word of God. A soft message will not produce a strong faith. There are things to be warned about. There are dangers that we need to be aware of. We need a diet of healthy things if we are going to be strong.

Notice some of the words Paul uses in our verse today:

• Take pains with these things. Pain and comfort do not co-exist. We like painless. We take pain-relief pills. We try to avoid pain. The pain Paul has in mind refers to effort. Work at it. Work hard at it. Paul has in mind growing spiritually. This is accomplished by spending time in the Bible. Not just preachers, but all of us. A strong preacher and a weak church isn’t a good combination. Disaster looms ahead if that is the current situation. We all need to take pains. Just reading a verse about five seconds before Bible classes begin, really isn’t taking pains is it? Remember studying hard in school. Books spread out on the kitchen table. Pencils, paper spread out. You read. You looked. You wrote down a few things. You scratched out a sentence or two. You worked at it. You busted it. You labored. This is what Paul is saying. Spiritual growth is something that ought to be a high priority for us. It’s probably been a long time since some of us really got the books out and really dug into a topic. Current stats reveal that more than 50% of college graduates never read a book again in their life! Never! Why? They have TV, cable, computers, youtube—there’s not a need to open books. Why open books? The joy of learning, the power of knowledge, the enlightenment that comes when you know. How much greater that is when we consider God. Walking in the light of God’s word gives you confidence, assurance and hope. You know because you know.

• Be absorbed in them. I get the idea of a sponge. It just soaks up and becomes full when placed in a bucket of water. Be absorbed in God’s word. Know God. Know God’s will. Saturate yourself with them. Now this goes against what many think. Most would say, “Don’t get too serious about these things.” “Don’t become a fanatic.” “There are other things in life.” “Too much of anything isn’t good.” Those thoughts don’t sound like something Paul would say. Get into God’s word. Know it. Understand it. Share it. It takes work. Ask yourself questions. Try to figure things out. Read it in other versions. When a person picks up a big yellow sponge that has been sitting in a bucket of soapy water, it just drips and is hard to hold because it’s about to burst with all the water in it. Just the slightest squeeze and the water pours out of the sponge. Could it be that one reason we have difficulty telling others about Jesus is that when squeezed, nothing comes out of us? Could it be that we need to be absorbed with the Lord? Spend time. Drink in spiritual truths. Be absorbed. When you are it comes out easily and naturally.

• Your progress will be evident to all. Progress—that’s growth. That’s movement. Cars progress down a high way. Schools give progress reports, we call them report cards. Companies will have evaluations. How are you doing? That’s a measurement of progress. Spiritual progress is what Paul has in mind. Through the years, folks who know us, ought to see us getting stronger in the Lord. They ought to see progress. They will remember just a few years back when we couldn’t find the books of the Bible and didn’t seem to know much about anything. And now? Well, now we’re teaching classes. Now, we are preaching. Now, we are making an impact with our families. Now, we are leaders in God’s kingdom. Progress. Parents see that. God sees that.

Are your growing? You’re not stuck in the third grade spiritually are you? Have you put your spiritual life in park and been sitting idle for a while? Time to get it going again. Time to get the books out. Time to get busy with the Lord. When progress is evident to all, folks will come to you for answers. People will ask you to teach a class. You will be a source of help for others. The reason, your progress is evident. That’s the way it ought to be. That’s the way God wants it.

Progress will be evident in knowledge, character and dependability. Progress, all the way to Heaven.

Roger