Tuesday 6 February, 2018

17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” 19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20 But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

I love that God gives us instructions. He doesn’t just tell us what to do – He tells us how He wants us to do it. How well He knows us! So well we are reminded of the manner in which we are to undertake these instructions. God is the God of details. We don’t have to figure out too much – being obedient in both our actions and our attitude is what is required. I’m not sure why I make it more complicated than this so often.

For me these verses are a reminder of the manner in which my obedience should be undertaken. Verse 26 is so strongly stated regarding not taking sides or showing favouritism. When I do what God is asking me – is it completely unbiased? Am I serving and loving unconditionally or am I seeking to attend to my agenda? These are good questions to ask myself regularly about my world and my relationships.

Lord help me still myself to hear your replay when I ask and then give me courage to hear what you say and allow you to reshape my thinking and my acting. Thank you for promising to do this when I ask.

Written by Ps. Linda Quinn