Do not neglect the gift you have
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have (1 Timothy 4:13-14, ESV).
Paul continues to encourage Timothy in those areas of service in which Timothy had an evident gift. He highlights the public reading of Scripture, exhortation, and teaching. It is so important to read the word of God publicly. The Lord began His ministry by quoting the word of God to answer the testing He faced in the desert when confronted by Satan at the beginning of Luke 4. Following that occasion, Luke records the visit of Jesus to the synagogue in Nazareth (vv. 16-22). There He read the word of God publicly. In the 19th century, people flocked to hear Charles Dickens and Mark Twain publicly read their books. It would have been an experience to listen to Dickens reading “A Christmas Carol” or Twain “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. But it would have been wonderful to hear Jesus Christ read from the book of Isaiah and to hear His “gracious words” (v. 22). The Lord started His ministry by reading the word He had authored, and He repeatedly affirmed the place it should have in our hearts and minds. After reading it, the Lord expounded it. Paul encouraged Timothy to read the word of God publicly. This was at a time when it was still being completed. He would have read the Old Testament, and he would also have read the letters the apostle Paul sent to the early churches. These were written under the Holy Spirit’s direction and form part of the New Testament. Peter refers to Paul’s writings as Scripture in 2 Peter 3:16. The reading of Scripture is the foundation of exhortation and teaching.
Exhortation is a call to follow what God’s word says, and teaching provides spiritual instruction. God’s word appeals to our hearts and minds and transforms our lives. Timothy possessed a gift in this ministry. But in places like Ephesus, he may have been hesitant to freely express such a gift amongst older and experienced Christians. Paul warns him not to be overawed by others, but to be responsible to the Lord in fulfilling the gift he had been given under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Timothy had, from childhood, known the Holy Scriptures, taught by a godly grandmother and mother (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15). God had prepared and equipped him, in order to build up Christ’s Church. Paul encouraged him to devote himself to this work.
In doing so, the apostle challenges our hearts about the ministry God has given us to fulfil. When Paul first met Timothy, he was a young man who was well spoken of by his fellow Christians in Lystra and Iconium. He had learned to serve God quietly in his locality, and Paul recognised his potential and took him with him and Silas on their missionary journeys. Paul recognised and encouraged gift in others. Perhaps it was something he had learned from Barnabas. Serving God includes seeing and valuing the gifts and abilities of fellow Christians and encouraging their use. The development and ministry of gift needs to be enabled. I thank God that I grew up amongst godly brothers and sisters who rejoiced in my salvation and desired my spiritual growth – people who cared for my soul and God’s will for me. This encouraged me to be responsible for what little gift I had to serve the Lord and His people. I also learnt there are times when we can neglect to fulfil such responsibility. At such times God graciously prompts us not to “neglect the gift you have”.
