Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 3:8-9 Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, 9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Application: " Not double-tongued" - this speaks directly to our credibility. Once again we see the importance of a clear conscience! This passage challenges us in specific areas of life that, if not watched over, could lead to the defiling of one's conscience. Notice: Dignity - brings a serious tone to a person's life. This is not being a snob; instead, this is never losing the conscious awareness that we are never outside the battle. Whether in ministry, fellowship, family time or even vacation, we never lose sight of the fact that we represent Jesus Christ 24/7. Can people trust and count on the integrity of your word? If we are sharing with them “the Way to life with God”, how can they believe us if our word in other areas is not trustworthy? " Addicted to much wine" - interesting that Paul chooses wine on this issue of moderation. Moderation is the real issue here, being mastered by anything other than God is a bad thing. Wine is the perfect example because it takes very little to loosen the self discipline for anyone. But we need to be careful not to over look or blow off the point of this statement because we may not drink wine, it could be sweets, food, exercise, TV, you name it. The issue is do we control it or does it control us?
Lastly, "fond of sordid gain". A major stumbling block in the Body of Christ today sometimes considered “one of the acceptable sins” in this age of televangelism! If I was searching for truth and was watching a lot of the "superstars" in the church today I would believe they care a lot more about money than God. It is a sad commentary on the church today, though not surprising. The enemy has always looked for ways to get the tares in among the wheat. This shows us why it is so important that we leave no question in the mind of others that we share the Lord only because we love Him, and desire all to know of His wonderful offer of a relationship with all that would come. There should be no question of any other motive. I have been a ministry for 31 years now, more than half of that as a self support missionary, Never, and I mean never have I had to be concerned over my needs being met. As I share the Lord with all I know, asking for nothing in return, He has supplied all my needs. We need to focus on who we are, and let Him focus on how we live.
Meditation Questions: When you give your word, do people write in down in INK, in PENCIL or they don’t write it down at all? What does that say? How do you represent Christ in all you do? Is there anything that has mastered your life? Habits? What are you doing about those? How much do you think about money? Do you use the “things” in life or just collect them? What’s the oldest “techy” thing you own? How new must all your stuff be? By what you own, is it clear you own it or it owns you? Which statement do you think you live: Money is to have and God is to use, or, God is to have and money is to use?
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