Profiting in Christ
1 Timothy 4:15
“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”
One of the themes of the Apostle Paul was that he wanted the believer to profit in Christ. When I talk about profiting in Christ, I am talking about appearing to grow in Christ so that others may see. Paul understood that the greatest validator of Christianity is the believer who grows in grace. The greatest test of your Christianity is how others are helped because of your influence in their lives. Six things are needed if you are going to profit in Christ.
First, you will never profit in Christ without giving time to reading. Verse 13 says, “…give attendance to reading…” The believer who reads the Word of God will experience its cleansing and growing influences. You will never be the believer you are supposed to be without giving time to reading God’s Word. Moreover, you also need to be a reader of good Christian material. Reading has a way of maturing your mind. Don’t get so wrapped up in entertainment that you rob yourself of the mental exercises of reading. Reading is the workout of your mind. If you workout your mind in God’s Word and good Christian books, you will find your mind to be strengthened in spiritual discernment.
Second, you will never profit in Christ without exhorting others. One of the greatest ways to receive personal encouragement is to be an encouragement to others. You will find the encouragement you need to continue walking the walk of faith by being an encouragement to others. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing God use you to encourage others.
Third, you will never profit in Christ without examining your doctrine. The believer should regularly examine that they are still walking and practicing a pure faith. Don’t just swallow what people tell you to believe, but be sure everything you practice is backed up by the Word of God.
Fourth, you will never profit in Christ without being filled with the Spirit. Verse 14 reminds the believer of the importance of Holy Spirit filling. Serving God in the flesh results in fleshly results. When the believer is filled with the Spirit, others will see the miraculous works accomplished through them and marvel because they know they are not capable of these works. My friend, never underestimate the time spent in prayer begging God for His Holy Spirit’s fulness. Time spent begging God for Holy Spirit fulness is the best investment of time a believer can spend.
Fifth, you will never profit in Christ without giving time to meditate. The word “meditate” means to reflect. You should spend time reflecting on the things mentioned above. Be sure you are doing them. Be sure that in each of these you are growing. You need to have that time alone with God where you meditate or reflect on these areas so that the Holy Spirit can show you where you need to grow.
Sixth, you will never profit in Christ without giving your all. The verse above says, “…give thyself wholly to them…” Don’t be passive about the things mentioned in this devotional. Give your best effort to these things. When you give your all to making sure that these things are a part of your life, others will see that there is a difference in you. Your profiting in Christ will be so evident that you will never have to tell anyone what is happening in your life, but it will be obvious to all that Christ has touched your life.