Paul's counsel in 1 Timothy 4:16 is critical for preachers in the 21st century: Watch your life and doctrine closely. The people to whom you preach must see your progress in these areas (4:15b). Let's focus on the first area today. The expression "your life" in 4:16 is literally "yourself." This reflects Paul's exhortation in 4:7 to train yourself for godliness. Preachers who pay attention to their lives will provide examples in the areas of speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity (4:12). So what can you do to watch over your life and make progress in it?
It begins with spending time alone with God. You know this, and I know this. Yet my conversations with other pastors reveal that we struggle in this area. I make the effort to carve out a block of time each day and then a day each month to spend with God in prayer and in His Word. For me, early in the day works best. I typically use our church's worship center because it provides the solitude and space I need. I read, pray, sing, kneel, listen, and pour out my heart before the Lord. I practice what my friend, Dave Hansen, describes in his book, Long Wandering Prayer (IVP). Once a month, I set aside a day to get away to a park or a retreat center or seminary campus. It's simply an extended time of what I try to do on a daily basis.
A related practice is journaling. For me, writing is a way of thinking. I process my thoughts best when I write them down on paper, or more accurately, type them into my word processor. Now I journal "as needed." I don't fret if I go a couple of weeks without an entry. At other times, I'll write in my journal for five days in a row. I write out prayers, record observations from my Scripture reading, and try to describe what God's Spirit is impressing on my heart. I frequently re-read what I've written to remind myself of the work God is doing in my heart.
Watching over your life requires enlisting others to help. I meet regularly with two small groups. One group consists of a handful of local pastors. We meet for an hour and a half on Thursdays to pray together, share our struggles, challenge each other, and reflect on what God is doing in our lives. I meet with a second group on Saturday mornings. The four of us meet to share life together and to reflect on what God is doing in our hearts and where we are slipping. We are not afraid to probe and question each other because we share a passion to grow in godliness.
How do you watch your life closely? What do you do in order to make progress as a preacher whose life serves as an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity?
Posted by Steve Mathewson at 8:54 AM on July 10, 2007
