Do you ever find while reading your Bible that a statement jumps out and grabs your attention? I watch for such statements. When I find one, I stop and reflect on it. I ask, “Why did this statement grab me?” “What might God be saying to me?”
It’s important not to limit your reflection on the statement alone. After you think you grasp what it says, go back and read the context around the statement. If the context supports what you understood the statement to mean, then prayerfully apply it to your life. I call this an impact statement.
1st Timothy 4:16 is such a statement: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Watch and persevere in two areas – your life and doctrine. Your life covers your behavior. Your doctrine covers what you believe. Some watch their behavior closely but neglect their doctrine. Others watch their doctrine but forget their behavior. Some don’t watch either. The combination and consistency between both creates the spiritual synergism that saves both you and others.
What we believe, that is our doctrine, should impact the way we live. It should never be, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Rather, “Watch my life and listen to what I believe. Then obey by following my example.”
This impact Statement is a high standard, but if you read the context you’ll understand the reason for it. In our next visit we’ll consider this further.
