“Dance with the one who brung ya,” so the old saying goes. It means to continue with the people,
strategy or methods that have proven to be successful over time. We utter it as a means of focus and resolve,
a reminder in the face of uncertainty or challenge.
Who “brung” us into the kingdom of God?
Did we muscle our way in with Works?
Did we masquerade and go with Appearances? Of course not! When we had no hope, Christ invited us to the
celebration and escorted us in ... and paid dearly to do so. Jesus brung us!
Why then, upon arriving, do we dare approach the dance floor of “godliness”
hand-in-hand with Appearances, or waltz there with Works? They can no more change our hearts than save
our souls. And acting religious? It’s like
dancing solo in a pas de deux. (“How
gauche!”)
God does call us to live godly lives, which is to say lives that respect and
revere him. But attempting it on our own
is out of step with his plan. On the
contrary, godliness is a person – a person who takes the lead. Paul explains ...
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16
Just as Jesus is our life, he is also our godliness. He’s the one who brung us! And we dance life freely, ever made more like him.
[To see the daily reading from 1 Timothy 3, click here.]
“I am writing you these
instructions so that ... you will know how people ought to conduct themselves
in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
foundation of the truth.” 1 Timothy
3:14-15
When the United States launched “Project Mercury,” its first attempt at manned
space flight, NASA evaluated several military test pilots for their suitability
to the program. After a series of
grueling mental and physical evaluations, only those meeting demanding criteria
were selected. As captioned in the title
of Tom Wolfe’s book chronicling the initiative, NASA needed astronauts with “The
Right Stuff.” At stake, after all, were
national defense, international leadership, scientific exploration and ultimately
hundreds of billions of dollars.
Coaching Timothy in church leadership, Paul established context for him,
reminding Timothy what was at stake – “the church of the living God, the pillar
and foundation of the truth.” This church
of Christ Jesus carries his truth into our communities and throughout the
world. In his name, the poor are fed and
clothed. In his name, the suffering are
healed and sheltered. In his name, the
illiterate are taught and the oppressed are freed.
And in his name, life – eternal and abundant – is available for all.
So in perhaps a bit of an understatement, Paul observed Christian leadership to
be “a noble task.” Then what “right
stuff” might be needed for such a noble task – an overseer in “the church of
the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth”? Understandably, the list of character
qualities is thorough enough ...
... self controlled ... hospitable ... able to teach ... not violent, but
gentle ... not quarrelsome ... not a lover of money ... not a recent convert
... good reputation with outsiders ... not overbearing ... not quick-tempered
... loves what is good ... upright and holy ... disciplined ... above reproach
... temperate ... respectable ... not given to drunkenness ... manages family
well ... does not pursue dishonest gain ... holds to deep truths of the faith
... sincere ... tested.
Or, in a word, “sanctified.” For if leadership requires a goodness of our own making, we need not apply. Our sinful nature disqualifies us. But when we put off our sinful nature and put
on Christ, over time the Holy Spirit of God changes us into the likeness of the
Son of God.
And the more we become like Jesus, the better suited we are to leadership ... or any other noble task to which we are called.
[The text for the weekly Wednesday blog post is the same as last week’s, 1
Timothy 3. To read it, click here.]
Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to
be an overseer desires a noble task.
1 Timothy 3:1
When he was a boy, my son, Matthew, and I went to see the Cleveland
Indians play the Baltimore Orioles, whose shortstop, Cal Ripken, Jr., had
already become one of the great baseball legends of all time.
What kid doesn’t want to grow up to be great at something? An Olympic athlete ... the rock star ... an actress ... a pro
football player ... a ballerina. Face it, we’ve all had those Walter Mitty fantasies about the big stage, the heroic feats, and
personal greatness. (All done in great
humility, of course!)
But few among us actually realize such grandiose dreams. So what is it about these people that propels
them to greatness? Certainly, talent is
a factor. But more so, I think it comes
down to an uncommon commitment to – and respect for – the fundamentals of an
endeavor. Focus every day on execution
excellence, and greatness, if it is to be, will follow.
As we watched the teams warm up that day, what struck me was Cal Ripken’s
discipline and his attention to the details of his position. Knees bent in an “L” shape ... head down ...
eye on the ball ... free hand follows the ball into the glove ... smooth throw
to first. If anyone could afford to
shrug off practice and not take it seriously, it would be Ripken. But he remained singularly focused on
executing the basics. Ball ... after
ball ... after ball ... after ball ...
Likewise, I believe there are fundamentals that equip one for Christian
leadership. During his teenage years, I
would occasionally counsel Matthew, “If you simply do the right thing, others will take
courage from you and follow.”
So what “right thing” demands our focus?
Paul gave Timothy a laundry list, including blamelessness, faithfulness,
self-control, family leadership, sincerity, honesty and others. Focus every day on obedience excellence, and leadership, if it is to be, will follow.
[To see the qualifications for Christian leadership in today's text, 1 Timothy 3, click here. To see additional Christian leadership qualifications in Paul's letter to Titus, click here.]
