Let No One Despise You

“Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:11-16 ESV)

The things that Timothy was commanded to command and to teach are in the whole book of 1 Timothy, so I will not reiterate them here. What I believe I am to focus on here is what is said next. And the first thing about that is that he was not to let anyone despise him because of his youth. And that is critical that we all get this lesson. We are not to let the prejudices of other people against us, for whatever reasons they may be, inhibit us from following the Lord Jesus in obedience to his callings upon our lives.

And I will give a personal example here beginning when I was age 31 (I am now 74). I had had a bad pregnancy where I had to be off my feet a lot and to where I could not care for my youngest two children, so I had to put them in daycare during the day while my husband was at work. So I had a lot of time during the daytime where I could not do anything physical, and so I spent that time in the study of God’s word and in growing in my personal relationship with him in following him and his will for my life.

Fast forward. We moved back to our home state and city. Our pastor was teaching on Spiritual gifts and he gave us each forms to fill out sharing what we believed were our gifted areas and where we wanted to serve in ministry. So I filled mine out and turned it in with the full expectation to hear from someone about placing me in an area of ministry. Nothing happened. So I contacted the pastor and he came for a visit, but he was nasty to me and accusatory of me in things I did not do, and so I got very discouraged.

Long story short, he and the elders of the church were judging me and my walk of faith with the Lord in comparison to themselves, and according to their own personal prejudices, and he later admitted that. But I was discouraged because he told me that I was too young to speak like I did and that I should wait until I had gray hairs on my head before people would listen to me. So he was despising me for my youth, and I believe also because I was a woman, and not a man, who spoke with wisdom.

But that was just the beginning of a line of pastors who misjudged me and who criticized me because of my walk of faith in the Lord Jesus and because of my dedication to the Lord and to his service and to the truth of the Scriptures. And it wasn’t all because of my youth, for I did age in this process, but I do believe a lot of it was because I was female, and because I took the word of God very seriously, believing what it said, in a day and time when more and more people were being more casual about those things.

Anyway, it all piled up on me, and finally I did give up and run away from it all, and that was the wrong thing to do. The Lord did bring me back, thank you Jesus, and for that I am eternally grateful. And he called me to this present ministry, although I was so undeserving at this point to be used of him, for I had failed him miserably. But he didn’t give up on me, and he turned me back around, and he gave me the courage that I needed to be who he called me to be, even if I get rejected much more.

So, I am sharing this to encourage you to not let what other humans do to you or say to you or say about you discourage and dishearten you to the point to where you give up and run away from God’s calling on your lives. No matter how old you are and no matter what race or nationality you are or if you are handicapped in any way or if you are dirt poor or whatever, or if you are male or female, don’t let those things decide your future for you. Follow Jesus Christ wherever he leads you and obey what he commands.

And all of us, no matter what age we are, or if we are male or female, are to be the Lord’s servants and messengers and witnesses in taking the message of the gospel to the people of the world, and in teaching, instructing, urging, and encouraging the body of Christ to live holy lives in walks of obedience to our Lord and to no longer let sin be what we practice. We are to help one another to live for the Lord and to walk in his ways and to obey his commands. For to this we who follow him in his ways are all called of God.

But we should not just talk the walk of faith in the Lord, but we should walk it ourselves in setting the example for other Christians to follow. And we should fan into flame the gifts of God within us, by the Spirit, in the power of God, regardless of how others perceive us and treat us, even if they are unkind to us or mock us or reject us because we are “too religious” for their comfort zone. And yes, we must keep a close watch on ourselves and on what we teach to make certain we are following God and not the flesh.

Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Gal 6:1; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Just a Closer Walk with Thee  

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown

Music by American Melody

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

I am weak, but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o’er

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Ks49apflE 

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