You cannot be diligent in the Father’s business if you are not fervent in the spirit. When the Bible tells us to not be slothful but be fervent in spirit, it’s a set of instructions that we should follow.
We will be looking at devotion as related to fervency. Devotion is about intense followership.
In 2 Timothy 4:1, the Bible talks about the fact that one day we will appear before the Lord, it’s not actually for judgement but for accountability and stewardship. That’s the difference between the white throne judgement and the seat of Christ. The scripture also reveals that we should preach the word and be instant in season and out of season and we should do it with long-suffering.
Paul started the chapter by reminding us that we will appear before Jesus one day, and proceeded to state the need to preach the word and be instant in season.
Paul was telling Timothy that he should do his job as a Pastor well because one day, he would stand before Jesus. He told him that he should do it thoroughly and faithfully.
That statement, “be instant in season and out of season.” Does sound like to be diligent.
When it is convenient and not convenient, you are expected to be instant in and out of season; reasons being that we will all stand before Jesus Christ.
As a believer, we must know that we will stand before Jesus one day. Even when discouragement sets in, we must keep preaching. Paul says we must keep preaching when it is convenient or not. The starting point for Paul is that you will stand before Jesus and give account.
We should not let discouragement stop us from preaching. You must be instant in season and out of season. The mindset that Paul was teaching Timothy is that he must keep doing that till Jesus comes.
Paul told him that a time would come that people will have itchy ears and he must keep preaching with long-suffering and that he must keep at it.
So Paul was saying that we will give account of our stewardship and the gifts God has deposited into our lives. He has blessed you with grace and gifts. He has blessed you with all that you need to work with.
Paul said we should do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of his ministry. He said this in clear terms to him. These are the instructions that as a believer you should not run with one and leave the other. The focus of all the instructions is that we will be standing before Jesus.
The reason why Timothy should make full proof his ministry is that he will be standing before Jesus and the reason why he should do the work of an evangelist is because he will be standing before Jesus.
The reason why we would be preaching in season and out of season is because we will be standing before Jesus.
To this end, whenever discouragement wants to set in, we must remember that Jesus is coming and we would stand before him. In spite of the preaching and teaching, yet people are not even paying attention, which gives a valid reason to stop teaching, we will still stand before Jesus.
Paul told Timothy to be instant in season and out of season. For Paul to have plainly instructed Timothy concerning ministry, it is very possible that Timothy was getting discouraged about ministry. Paul had to tell him that he has to be instant in season and out of season because he would have to stand before Jesus. The devotion It is not a situation-borne.
Timothy was a young pastor as at the time he was instructed. He pastored adults. Paul told him not to despise his youth. There is a tendency that he was looked down upon among several things that could have happened.
Paul had to instruct him having checked his fervency in service. It maybe that Paul have seen him preached and the passion he had always in doing the work.
He has known him to be to be a passionate man. He stood him up and told him he would be standing before Jesus.
Not reading the whole text in that chapter, we would have missed out on every detail Paul was instructing Timothy on.
1 Timothy 4:1
The first verse that opened that chapter the key instructions was on standing before Jesus.
If it was a matter of conduct, Paul would not have started the instructions with “preach the word.”
This is why as a believer, we would be asked what we did with the grace of God.
We will give account of our stewardship. It will be about our accountability. It will be, “why did you stop preaching?” “Why were you not instant?”
To be instant in season and out of season means to be consistent. It means to be burning consistently. It means there is no fluctuation. There is no holiday. There is no reason to be saying we are resting.
We must stand up to the occasion when it is convenient and when it is not.
This matter about fervency for us, is about doing a good job and it must be a consistent one. One of the reason why we must not let discouragement to set in is to put before us that we would be standing before Jesus.
We would give account of the times we shut down. We would also give account of the times we let discouragement to set in and overwhelm our hearts in such a way that we lost focus of the assignment.
You will also give account of that period or a situation whereby you are trying to sort out your life before doing the assignment.
The truth is that some never came back after the sorting their lives. They are still stuck in the sorting. Some said they would love to go and make some money because ministry needs money.
There has hardly been anyone that went to look for money and come back the way he was.
You should always be conscious that you will be standing before Jesus and that understanding should make you have the concept of fervency forever. Your words should be that you will continually serve God forever, you will die at your duty post.
Discouragement will show up but when you remember that you will stand before Jesus and you will give account of the season and those period of your life. So what are you going to tell the Lord that you did with those moment?
John 4 tells us how Jesus was tired and sat on Jacob’s well. The disciples saw him weary and discovered that he was tired so they went to get him food. They left him tired, weary, worn out but when they came back the man they left sitting was standing, preaching. Jesus was tired but the moment there was a demand on the auction and calling upon his life, he was strengthened that even his disciples were surprised.
Devotion is you consistent in your fervency. You can’t be serving the lord if you are not fervent in the spirit and the only way you can prove that you are fervent in the spirit is that you are not slothful but diligence.
Jesus was not slothful in business. He has always been about his father’s business. When the disciples came back, they did not meet Jesus slothful but they met him fervent in spirit which made him to be serving.
One motivation for us to keep serving the lord and remain fervent forever is to remember constantly that we will be standing before the Lord. And the matter for discussion will be do we preach the word, are we instant in season and out of season? How well did we do the work of God? how far did we go?
2 Timothy 4:5 NKJV “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
The same way apostle Paul gave instruction to endure afflictions is the same way he gave instructions to do the work of an evangelist and for making full prove of your ministry.
Apostle Paul was saying we should endure afflictions and not let afflictions stop us from doing what we are suppose to do because one day we will stand before
Jesus. Do the work of an evangelist and make full prove of your ministry because one day we will stand before Jesus.
In other word, what Paul was saying to Timothy is that he will need to be consistent and his fervency should be forever, till you see Jesus. Don’t let afflictions or challenges of life stop you from carrying out the will of God for your life. Rather endure afflictions. Be a soldier of Christ.
One way to make full prove of your ministry is to do the work of an evangelist. No matter what your calling is, everyone must do the work of an evangelist. That is the only way to make full prove of our ministry.
We will do the work of an evangelist till we see Jesus. There are preachers who were retired at their local assembly administratively but continued on the field even at old age.
Our work in the kingdom is till the day he will come. We are admonished to endure affliction, to fight the good fight till the end.
2 Timothy 4:1-8
While Paul was addressing this and giving the template of Epaphras, he warned Timothy to be mindful of not boasting in his present commitment. It was a matter of allegiance.
Mathew 26:69-75
Peter had told Jesus that he would not deny him but what he could have done was to pledge his allegiance and stay around the cross.
We saw him sitting with the soldiers around the fire the ward off the cold whereas there was another man who had not bragged but stayed at the feet of the cross; John.
The one who bragged stayed far from the cross but the one who didn’t say a thing stayed with the master till his death.
All that could have kept Peter was to stay around the cross. For you to maintain your allegiance, you have to remain at the cross your source of strength.Jesus received strength to preach to the woman by the well because he was driven by the course of his father.
John 4: 1-42
Whatever distracts you now from being fervent will not be relevant when you stand before Jesus.