Bold, Loving, and Sensible

 We all need to receive encouragement from others, so we can live the Christian life well. There are so many problems that arise, and all of us have weaknesses of one kind or another. It is easy to fall away from doing what God has called us to do. That is why Paul was encouraging Timothy about the gifts he had received to fulfill his ministry. (II Timothy 1:7) He knew that Timothy had a tendency to be shy about his gifts, so Paul admonished him to be bold, loving, and sensible. That would solve his shyness, and it would put him on the road to being used greatly by the Lord in His service. Let's take a moment to analyze what the Lord inspired Paul to write to Timothy.

If we are shy about using our spiritual gifts in ministry for the Lord, we need to realize the cause for that. It means we are afraid. We have a fear of failure, a fear of what others will say about us, or a fear of making a mistake. God doesn't want us to have those fears which lead us to be shy. Instead, God wants us to have boldness. Boldness is the opposite of fear. Boldness is the quality to say and do what needs to be said or done, not caring what others may say or do. Of course, we never want to be so bold that we fail to love those to whom we are ministering. If we do love people with unselfish, genuine love, we will not be shy to help them in the Lord. Also, we need to be sensible about using our ministry gifts, We need to see clearly how to exercise our gifts and do the best we can for the Lord. If we will do these things, God can and will use us in a great way.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Timothy 2-4.