October 23, 2024 - 1 Timothy 3

Pastors and deacons.  God has always provided for his people what we need.  Adam and Eve needed coverings for their nakedness; God provided those coverings.  Abraham needed a sacrificial substitute for his son, Isaac; God provided the ram in the thicket.  In a time of deep famine, Jacob’s family needed food; God had sent Joseph to Egypt to provide food for the famine that was to come.  The people of Israel needed deliverance from Egypt; God delivered them.  In the wilderness, Israel needed food and water; God gave them manna and water.  Israel needed a place to live; God gave them the Promised Land.  Continually threatened by the nations, Israel needed deliverance; God gave them victories over their enemies.  And on and on the story goes.  Of course, the greatest need we all have is deliverance from sin and a restored relationship with our Creator; God sent his Son!  Here in Paul’s letter to Timothy are the instructions for choosing pastors and deacons, the one to preach and shepherd and the other to see to the physical needs of the church.  God did not leave us alone to figure out how to live; he has given us his Word, and he has given us those who care for us and lead us.  How good and wise is our God!

Jesus, with thy church abide;

be her Savior, Lord, and Guide,

while on earth her faith is tried:

we beseech thee, hear us.

May her lamp of truth be bright,

bid her bear aloft its light

through the realms of heathen night:

we beseech thee, hear us.

May she holy triumphs win,

overthrow the hosts of sin,

gather all the nations in:

we beseech thee, hear us.   --Thomas Benson Pollock (1871)