Tenth in a series of studies of Paul’s instruction to Timothy
“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. “Till I come give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine (1 Timothy 4:12-13).
“Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:14-15).
After a firm admonition to Timothy about not neglecting the spiritual gift that he had received, Paul instructs him about a totally different medium through which he is to develop himself spiritually: that is, meditation.
While the word “meditate” usually communicates the idea that one is to “think or focus one’s mind for a period of time…for religious or spiritual purposes,” the Greek word in the New Testament is defined as “to attend to, to practise (sic), … to be diligent in.”
Of course, if one is seriously focusing his mind upon something and he is diligent, he is really “attending” to it: so, there is no conflict in the definitions. For emphasis, Paul is reiterating his admonition is verses 12-13.
The message is quite clear: spiritual success—for Christians of any generation— involves thinking seriously about and internalizing the message of Jesus and then putting it into practice by living the life and displaying the attitudes commanded in this passage.
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