An example
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 (1 Timothy 4:12).
Paul and Timothy teach us a lot about working in harmony in the Lord’s service. Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father. The way Paul writes to him suggests Timothy was a hesitant young man. This is not always apparent. We can get an incomplete picture of brothers and sisters who serve the Lord confidently, and with apparent ease. But what we don’t see is the struggles they face with anxiety, a deep sense of unworthiness and the burden of service. In Timothy’s case, he was conscious of his youth. He wasn’t brash or forceful but he was over-cautious. When we first meet Saul of Tarsus, he was anything but hesitant. He was full of confidence, self-righteousness and an uncaring boldness. In the Lord’s service, however, he needed a “thorn in his side” to make him dependent on the Lord’s grace. But Paul did not dismiss Timothy’s lack of boldness. Too often, we judge people by our own experiences. But we are all different, and we need grace to appreciate those differences. We should encourage each other’s gifts and abilities and help each other to overcome our frailties.
So Paul gently reminds his young fellow servant not to allow others to set him aside simply because of his youth. Instead, he encourages him to demonstrate his spiritual maturity and Christlike character through being an example to the people of God. This example was multi-faceted. It embraced both what he said and what he did. And both of these aspects of his life were to be characterised by love. He was to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and the love of Christ was to pervade all his actions (John 15:12). His example was not only what he said and did, but it also included the spirit in which it was done. We see this perfectly expressed in the Lord Jesus. His presence drew and blessed those who sought Him, and it rebuked those who sought to diminish Him. The spirit in which we do things has a profound bearing on the success of our actions. We can have a harsh, legalistic, unforgiving and critical spirit. Or we can have a gentle, kind, loving, cheerful and Christlike spirit.
What Timothy said and did was also to be done in faith. He was to trust God and act in faith. These two sides of faith are essential. Faith is needed to prepare to serve, and faith is necessary to serve. You see this in Gideon. God took great patience to develop Gideon’s faith, and Gideon demonstrated his faith in doing what God asked him to do (Judges 6-8).
Finally, Timothy was to be an example in purity. Our thoughts, words and actions should be free of impurity. They should also be pure in the sense of being unmixed. They should not be hypocritical or deceitful or be hiding evil intent.
Paul was encouraging his son in the faith to be an example to his fellow Christians in a world with many challenges. It was a responsibility he felt deeply in his own heart as he explained to the Ephesian elders, “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility” (Acts 20:18-19). May God give us the grace to be an example to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to appreciate and support the example of others.
