To be physically fit is certainly valuable, but

it requires hard work, self-discipline and serious commitment. What about your

spiritual fitness? Today on Truth for Life we'll take a look at the Apostle Paul's

advice concerning spiritual devotion and diligence. Alistair Begg is teaching

today from Chapter 4 in First Timothy.

Now what follows from that point at the end of verse 10 is a string of

imperatives. Ten of them in fight. A succession of commands directly related to

Timothy's life and ministry and if you were summarizing it, indeed Paul does

summarize it in one phrase at the beginning of verse 16 it is this watch your

life and your doctrine closely. Now we know that Timothy was

dividend. We know that Timothy when he went to the Corinthians was ill at ease. We

know that he was physically frail. We know that he was naturally timid. We know

that he had to take a little wine for his stomach's sake as we'll see in chapter

5. But since Paul any sense of

difference that you might feel in relationship to the awesomeness of this

responsibility, you're going to have to set aside. In verse 11 I want you, he says,

to command and teach these things. Even though you may only be in his mid-30s,

he's not to allow that to prevent him from being effective in leadership. One

rabbi said at 30 a man is fit for authority. At 40 he is fit for discernment.

Well Timothy was somewhere in this region and Paul says instead of people

looking down on you, they are to look up to you. How are they going to look up to

you? That brings us to our second word devotion. Don't let them look down on you.

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