When you travel by air, before the flight takes off an airplane employee presents a safety briefing, which explains what to do if there is a loss of cabin pressure. Passengers are told that oxygen masks will drop from the compartment above and they are to put one on themselves before helping others. Why? Because before you can help anyone else, you need to be physically alert yourself.
When Paul wrote to Timothy, he stressed the importance of maintaining his own spiritual health benefits helping and serving others. He reminded Timothy of his many responsibilities as a patient=story: There were false teachings to contend with and strong doctrines to correct. But to discharge his duties well, what was the most important was to " watch his life and doctrine closely and persevere in them." He needed to take care of his own relationship with the Lord first before he could attend to others.
What Paul told Timothy applies to us too. Each day we encounter people who do not know the Lord. When we talk up on our spiritual oxygen first through time in God's Word, prayer, and enabling of the Holy Spirit, we keep our relationship right with God. THen we will be spiritually alert to help others.
Lord, open Your Word to me now. Let me breathe in it's freshness before I go out to be Your light to the world.
A Christian's life is the window through which others can see Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment