For therefore we both labour and suffer
reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men,
specially of those that believe.
1 Timothy 4:10
There are two kinds of men on this earth; those who work for
the reward of today and those who work for the reward of tomorrow… Your drive
as far as your work ethic displays the kind of man that you are… When things
don’t go as you planned or you don’t’ see the immediate fruits of your labor,
how do you handle those situations… Paul reminds us today that we must remember
that the prize we labor for will not be manifested upon this earth… Timothy
faced a lot of peer pressure when he took up the calling of ministry that was
placed upon his life; however, it was through this passage that Paul reminds Him
that we suffer not for material things, but “because we
trust in the living God…” Not every person you meet will have a zeal
of love for Christ… Not everyone you meet will want to share in your witness or
see the name of Christ exalted; it is in these times that we must remember the
services that we take part it… We are not about pleasing men nor are we doing
this for form or fashion… I serve Christ because I believe that He died for y
sins, I serve Him because I believe that I can do nothing without Him, but that
with Him all things are possible… I will “suffer reproach”
because I believe I have found a (n) answer to the void that is in my life
which cannot be filled my men… Don’t give in to the temptation of earthly success;
don’t give in to the appearance of happiness that comes with material things…
Know that you are working toward a far more precious prize and the more you go
through the better it will be… Paul is reminding Timothy of the same thing that
he told the Church of Rome in the 8th chapter of his letter… “For
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Once
we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior, there are two things embodied by
that choice that are guaranteed; one is that you will inherit eternal life and
the other (least talked about) is that you will suffer… Paul charges Timothy
today after Timothy tried to run from the gospel, Timothy found this road to be
to difficult at times and wanted to give up… The bible is filled with passages
that speak to the suffering that a child of God will endure… When Paul had his Damascus
In today’s passage, Paul is teaching and instructing Timothy
that this walk as a Christian is in fact harder than to walk as a man of the
world! When you choose God, you go against everything that you come in contact
with on this earth; it is in essence, “it really is you against the world!” Paul
knew what he dealt with and he is teaching us today, that because
of your commitment to God, the devil will try to destroy the hope and visions
that you cling too as a child of God! You will face trials and
tribulations, there will be days when nothing makes sense in your life, and you
will find yourself crying from time to time at night! Jesus said for us to keep
in mind, “that they hated him first!” We are walking in Jesus light, he was
spit on, he was whipped, he was mocked, he was scorned, but in the end he
received all power in the palm of his hand! We are assured that every trial
will serve a purpose; we are assured that every obstacle will be overcome; we
are assured that all who believe will be saved… Jesus said that all who suffer
for his name sake shall be saved… The storms of your life come because you are
serving Him, the trials that you face are because you desire pure love… Paul
wants us to understand that we have made the best decision for us and the worse
decision for Satan and that’s why we suffer reproach… Reproach is criticism,
scolding, accusation and rebuke… People will talk
negatively when you try to better yourself, the devil will try to pull you down
by lies and gossip when you choice to follow Jesus, but even through all that
we are assured that trusting in God will lead to victory and salvation…
Your hardships bring about maturity, your destiny will be met through your
tribulations, and God knows that this is an uphill battle! It is easy to sin
because we came into the world as sinners! The transformation to be more Christ
like is like learning how to walk; it’s easier to crawl, but walking opens up
doors for you to experience other things such as skipping, jumping, and
leaping! If you crawl (walk in sin) you are limited by what you can achieve! If
you walk (live as Christ) doors are open for you to experience more than you
ever thought possible! So let us walk in the light, let us endure the pain and
fiery darts, because in the end it will be well with your soul and your rewards
will be far beyond what the world could offer! When you crawl you are at one of
the most vulnerable positions you can be in; however, in order to walk you must
first stand up… Doors will be opened, progress will be made and yes you will
fall sometimes throughout your learning curve, but take confidence in knowing
that through Christ you will always be able to get up! More importantly know
that you will achieve more in Christ than you will and the world and you will receive
more as well…
BE BLESSED!!!
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