11.09 | Immersion
1 Timothy 4
‘Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.’
1 Timothy 4:15
I’m writing this message at my son Jake’s diving lesson.
He comes here every week, practising and practising the various moves of level four diving. He loves it. He loves the water in general, but he particularly loves the experience of plunging deep into the water—an underground world of muted noise and bubbles and cool water. He loves the experience of immersion.
Today takes us to the heart of 1 Timothy. We’ve got the hang of it now: Paul is writing to correct false teachings that have sprung up in Ephesus. More specifically, he’s writing to exhort Timothy to do the correcting. He’s building him in knowledge, building him in courage, and now he’s urging him towards establishing this community in the strong things of grace and truth. He wants Timothy to become disdainful of the things of legalism and rule-making, and to become extraordinarily confident in the things of grace, love, and truly becoming like Jesus.
Good mentors often know their mentees fears, and can speak to them—for fear is always the most common obstacle between us and our purpose.
Let no one despise you for your youth.
I’ve known this one. I’ve seen it in countless young people and young adults. It’s an excuse for inactivity that is unique to the earlier stages of life, unless, if left unchecked, we exchange it for new excuses as we get older. Timothy worries that his youthfulness will lead to others critiquing him, ignoring him, disdaining him. Who am I to lead these people? They’re older than me! They’ve got way more life experience. I’ll just look silly.
Most of us have a list of other excuses too.
Too busy. Too many mistakes. It went wrong. Fear. Shame. I’ll get around to it next month. Protecting ourselves from the stress of risk.
We can get really good at these excuses.
But Paul calls Timothy out: Let nothing get between you and your vocation. Let no excuse stop you from doing what you are called to do. Let no fear or self-deprecation distract from the call of God upon your life. Let no critique or sneering person devalue your gifting.
He makes it really clear: do your vocation. More than this, devote yourself to it. Make it your commitment and focus; carve out time for it above the myriad other things you could be doing; nurture deep commitment to it.
Do not neglect the gift.
Hear this warning: you can have a spiritual gift, and neglect it. A gift requires attention and exercise, feeding and nurture. It requires attention and commitment, that it may grow and thrive and flourish.
Practice these things, he says. Like an instrument, like a spiritual discipline, like a sport. Make it habitual and regular. Expect to grow.
Persist in this, he says. Keep going. Keep at it. Be relentless. Don’t be discouraged by no immediate fruit: just keep at it. It will lead to salvation.
When we are filled with the Spirit, He awakens gifts and vocation in our lives. All of us. There are things that He has called you to do, and you can either use this gift or ignore it. You can either devote yourself to it, or neglect it. You can either practice it, or forget it. You can either persist in it, or give up.
Friends, let Paul’s words apply a little pressure onto our own soul too, for the neglect and avoidance of our gifts—wrapped up in our well-oiled excuses—withholds salvation from church and the world. Timothy had a gift that was essential to the correction of the mess that was growing in Ephesus. Ephesus needed truth. It needed teaching. It needed exhortation. It needed Timothy. It needed him to move from dabbling his toes in occasional teaching, or just speaking to the young people, or avoiding the confrontation of the harder truths. It needed Timothy to take courage, accept his calling, and to immerse himself in the very thing God had shaped him to do.
Reflect:
What gifts, strengths, and abilities do I think God has given me?
To what extent am I immersed in using them?
Pray:
Father,
Help me not to be better at excuses
Than I am at courage;
Help me not to have a thousand reasons
To avoid saying Yes;
Help me not to neglect
What you have placed on my life.
Help me to disdain my fears,
And shrug off my excuses,
To say No to all distractions—
That my life may become devotion,
Practice,
Persistence
And immersion
In the core work that you have asked of me;
Unto the salvation of me,
And those you lead me to.
In Jesus’ Name,
And in the power of Your Spirit,
Amen
Old Testament:
For those also reading the Old Testament this year, your additional readings are here:
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12:14 | Psalm 107:1-16