I know… I know… you did not expect to find investment advice in a devotional.
Rest easy, I’m not talking about something as relatively insignificant as money.
(Though in all fairness, God has a great deal to say about money in his Word, including the handling/management of it and a proper attitude towards it, so money is a perfectly legitimate topic on which a preacher may teach.)
However, I’m interested in something more precious than dollars . . . something that once it is spent cannot be acquired again – your MINUTES.
Yes, it is TIME to invest your TIME in the Lord’s Kingdom.
Have you considered exactly how many MINUTES you have at your disposal?
The harsh and honest answer is always – ONE.
This one specifically.
Just as you know that tomorrow is not promised, neither is our next MINUTE.
We, as faithful stewards, must wisely use the TIME given to us in our LORD’s service.
In First Timothy, we learn that Timothy was left behind in Ephesus to continue to help stabilize the young church through both his teaching and his example, while the Apostle Paul continued on his journey. Expecting to rejoin Timothy there eventually, Paul wrote:
“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13)
Obviously, this call to action applies to more than just Timothy, and it applies to more than just Preachers.
It applies to You too.
Until our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, the Christ, returns coming with the clouds, the sound of a great trumpet, the shout an archangel, and accompanied by the innumerable heavenly hosts and his saints… Until that Great and Most Notable Day of the Lord, you also must give attendance:
(1) TO READING,
(2) TO EXHORTATION, and
(3) TO DOCTRINE.
What does it mean to give attendance? In the simplest terms, it means to apply yourself, which requires both TIME and effort.
Apply Yourself to the Reading God’s Word
I urge you to apply yourself to reading God’s Word each day.
If you, as Steward of the TIME God has given you, choose to spend ZERO MINUTES reading his Word on any given day, then you are not heeding this charge. Most individuals have about 1,000 waking MINUTES each day.
How many MINUTES do you think need to be devoted to reading God’s Word before you could honestly say to your own conscience, “I have given attendance to reading God’s Word Today”?
Apply Yourself in the Application of God’s Word
While it may sound like just a fuzzy preacher word, Exhortation could be defined as urging or inviting someone to do something. Preachers regularly urge their congregations to take some aspect of the peached Word and then apply it in their own lives. This is going beyond being a mere hearer (or reader) of the Word and becoming a Doer.
Once you have started applying yourself to be diligent in your reading, next you should be considering ‘How can I take what I am reading and apply it to my own life?’
This step requires an honest self-examination, humility, and the courage to make meaningful changes. Change can be uncomfortable and scary, but if you are attempting to conform your life to the example given in God’s word, then the discomfort will be worth it.
Is it worth investing some of your TIME into applying God’s Word in your Life?
Apply Yourself to Studying God’s Word.
Giving Attendance to Doctrine could be described as actively studying the Bible as a whole with a particular topic in mind to try to uncover the full breadth and depth of that subject. For example, I would strongly encourage a newly engaged couple to study out what all the Lord has to say about marriage from Genesis to Revelation.
Learning how to study can be tricky and even intimidating at first, but this is an area where your local pastor can be a huge help. Pastors tend to get really excited when their congregations are reading and actively thinking about the Word, and I suspect they would be more than happy to work with you to help you learn how to study.
Is it worth investing some of your TIME into Studying God’s Word?
Going Beyond Personal Growth…
It is TIME to be a Mentor
Do you think Paul was encouraging Timothy to focus on these things just for Timothy’s own personal benefit and growth?
No, in fact, he ended chapter 4 with “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
While is it certainly good for your personal growth, your investment of your time and efforts into God’s Word will also profit those that hear you.
Even if you haven’t been called to be a preacher, you still have the privilege and responsibility to invest your TIME into fellow believers as a MENTOR.
Take a moment and think about the MENTORS you have had over the years.
I would venture to guess that each one repeatedly demonstrated an interest in your well-being by investing TIME into you.
Have you been blessed to have someone MENTOR you in your walk with the Lord?
You may not remember every lesson they taught to you, but you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they demonstrated their care and love for you by repeatedly showing up and trying to redirect your perspective back to the Lord and his Word, while encouraging you to follow their example and avoid their past mistakes.
So let me ask you a harder question - “Who are YOU MENTORING in THEIR walk with Lord?”
Are you willing to invest your TIME?
Are you willing to select one person in your life and commit to meeting with them regularly:
to read the word together;
to try to apply that word to yourselves,
and to introduce doctrinal truth?
What if you took the more difficult path and choose someone who is interested learning about the Bible, but is not familiar with the Doctrines of Grace?
Pick a book in the New Testament and start reading through it together.
Prepare in advance for each meeting by reading ahead to be sure that you understand what is going on and seek out counsel for help understanding when necessary.
When you don’t know the answer to a question, BE HONEST and admit it, but be willing to try to find an answer before you meet again.
Don’t you think this would a be wise way to invest your TIME in the Lord’s Kingdom.
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This Article was first published in the February 2025 Edition of the North Georgia Newsletter, which is available here.
Since 2019, Elder Jonathan Moseley has served as the Pastor of Fair Haven Primitive Baptist a church in Tifton, Georgia. He also leads multiple bible studies each week, and you would be welcome to join him at any of them. He can be reached at (678) 920-8045 or by email at FairHavenPBChurch@gmail.com.
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