It’s Time to Get Sober

Titus 1:8

But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

One of the attributes God wants pastors to exhibit is the character to be sober. God is not talking about a man of God avoiding being drunk, though men of God should NEVER drink alcohol at all. However, God is speaking more to the pastor’s character to take his position seriously because of Who they represent. However, the purpose of God’s requirements for the pastor was not about him living right and the church people living differently; rather, God gave these requirements so that believers had a role model and an example of how they should live. The command to the pastor to be sober is God’s command to the believer to be sober. Let me share what being sober means.

First, to be sober means to be serious. There is nothing wrong with telling jokes and enjoying life, but the believer needs to be serious about serving God. Serving God is not a joke. There are souls headed for Hell, and too many are playing their lives away instead of reaching the lost for Christ. We must be serious about what we do for Christ because souls are at stake and lives hang in the balance based on what we do. If we are not serious about serving the Lord, neither will those we lead be serious about serving God.

Second, to be sober means to be thoughtful. Being thoughtful means to think before you act. The pastor certainly should not be quick to react to everything he hears. Instead, the pastor should move slowly through the process of making a decision on how to act. Likewise, the believer ought to be sober about their decisions. Being thoughtful about each action is critical to avoid making decisions that will harm your ability to influence others for Christ. Before making decisions, you would be wise to think about the decision so that you don't make harmful decisions.

Third, to be sober means to be levelheaded. There is something about having commonsense that seems to have left this generation. Commonsense comes from the ability to look at a situation and to see the obvious. It is amazing how so few people seem to have commonsense anymore. Commonsense tells you that sometimes you don't need to say what you want to say. Being levelheaded tells you that you may not need to act on something at the moment. Being levelheaded allows you to see through what is being said by looking at the results of actions done to discern what is right or wrong. There is no doubt this generation could use people who are sober or levelheaded in their decisions, actions, and with what they say.

Fourth, to be sober means to be restrained. You will hurt many people if you don't have the character to restrain yourself. You must learn that being sober will cause you to realize there are times when you ought not to say what you want because the timing is wrong. Being sober is the character to be calm in tumultuous situations. Being sober is the character to be levelheaded in heated circumstances. You must practice restraint if you are to lead people the right way when they are out of control.

Are you a sober believer? Those you lead and influence need to see a person who is serious about what they are doing for the Lord, and that they are restrained and levelheaded about how they handle situations. You will make a greater impact for right by being sober.