1st Timothy 4:12. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
AN EXAMPLE. What would I expect to see if I knew a person who lived by me; Claimed to be a Christian – I would watch to see if he lived consistently. Not one who said one thing and did another, and what I did was to him a bother. When I was outside, he would come over, and we could be friendly with one another – Then I would pay attention to what he said, and take time to observe the kind of life he led Looking for the reasons he did what he did, and maybe learning I too should be looking ahead. I would watch the example of that young believer, and see in him moral and righteous behavior – And when the time seemed right, and he asked a favor, I’d listen to him tell me about his Savior.
I couldn’t ignore him if he wanted to speak a word, so I would know he believes there’s a God – And to him it is real because he says Jesus is Lord, He would be mine if only I would Turn to God for salvation, and from sin turn away, because for my sins Christ was willing to play The whole cost of redemption on the cross one day, and from its consequences, I’d be eternally free. His manner of life assured me he had experienced this; there was in him a calmness and peace. When he told me, forgiveness was God’s work, not his, that puts value much higher than the things we have. He appreciates God and all He gave, and tells me God loves me and wants me to save.
The spirit of my young neighbor is so nice that to quarrel with him I’d have to think twice. I know his meek spirit is worth a great price; there is reality there that is not sold by the slice. He trusts his God with a genuine faith, what he has is the real thing – he is not a fake – The way he conducts himself is with a simple grace that crosses the fence and comes into my place. His life is exemplary; he has genuine purity, not changing his moral commitment at some opportunity. There’s respect for us, I trust him implicitly, his moral standards remain consistently. That young believer in Christ has it all together, if I had a choice, I would far rather Be like him rather than the other neighbor who considers the young Christian to be an imposter.
“Gracious Father, may I be like Timothy was intended to be – a good example to those around in all my ways. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
It is up to one who serves to be an encourager to others to do the right things for the right reasons. Encouragement is never out of order. Many people need to be encouraged each day to "keep on keeping on." Opportunities to do good should be taken advantage of each day. Timothy "professed a good profession" [6:12] at the beginning of his life as a child of God. A good minister of Jesus Christ holds personally, and preaches publicly, "good doctrine" [4:6]. He makes it a point to practice "good works" [5:25] as a response to God's grace to him. He has a "good report of them that are without" [3:7] and who are forming opinions as to what it means to be a Christian. He maintains a "good conscience" [1:5, 19], knowing that he lives his life constantly before the Lord. He also makes it a point to persevere in that "good" thing [2:3] as public prayer is called and piety ("good" thing) at home with his wife and family [5:4]. He realizes the difficulties he faces are because he is involved in a "good warfare" [1:18]. By his consistency, he will win a "good degree" [3:13] of approval and is laying up for himself a "good foundation" [6:19] for that which is before him.
A good servant of Jesus Christ lives with grace before his family members, his fellow workers in the workplace, and does "random acts of kindness" wherever possible. He also encourages others to do the same by affirming what they do with a smile, a spoken word, a pat on the shoulder, or a handshake. He may even write a note or send an email that is consistent with the principles of encouragement. Begin with encouragement: that makes people happy to work with you. Only expect others to do what you are willing to do yourself. People resent unfairness, and "do what I say, not what I do," falls flat and on deaf ears. Develop expectations. Point out to people their skills and gifts. Identify the value of their experience and maturity. Understand that people will only fit in and be able to do some things, not everything. Be patient with those who are slow. Evaluate your own expectations of others and give them a reasonable target for which to aim. Be sure to encourage people by expressing appreciation for a job well done. Learn to praise honestly, not flatter people.