"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
1 Timothy 6:11
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things.”
“O man of God,” is a phrase that Paul uses for pastors and ministers of the gospel.
“That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:17).
Paul probably borrowed this phrase from the Old Testament.
“And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?” (1 Kings 17:18).
“The man of God,” in the Old Testament was “the man who spoke for God.” [1]
Paul is concerned that Timothy keeps on heading the right direction with the gospel message. His attention should not be diverted elsewhere. How many pastors’ ministries have been destroyed because they took their focus away from the Lord. Changing focus onto other things that can cripple a man and ministry.
God’s men need to be fleeing the things that will destroy them and their ministries. False teaching is one. A man of God must be careful who he listens to and must preach the undiluted Word of God. No false doctrine allowed! (1 Timothy 6:2-5).
Contentment is a major accomplishment for God’s man and for all believers. Discontentment kills ministry and traps people in the desire for things. We need to understand that if there are things that we need but do not have, God will supply them. If there is something that I want but do not have, God may not want me to have it, or at least not yet. (1 Timothy 6:6-8).
Loving money can trip up many. In this world we live in, some money is necessary to live and to do business. The problem is when we love money above everything else. When money becomes our god, we will be blinded to God, His Word, and the needs of those around us. (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
False teaching, discontentment, and loving money are traps that Paul is trying to help Timothy avoid. These things will destroy a preacher’s effectiveness.
“And follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
And avoiding the three sins that Paul wrote of, here is what Timothy needs to be pursuing (1 Timothy 6:11).
Righteousness and godliness have to do with Timothy’s relationship with the Lord. He needs to love God and be pursuing everything right. Without love and patience, it will be impossible for him to work with people. Without love, he won’t care about them, and without patience, he won’t last, he will quickly give up on them. And Timothy must have the patience to confront the enemies of Christ and the gospel. Without this, he will go after them in his own strength, which will mean failure for sure.
Believers, we need to be praying for our pastors in these end-time days. Satan would love to see their ministries fail, their flocks become disillusioned, and sinners have a new opportunity to scorn Christ and his church. If you can, why not send your pastor a note of encouragement today?
[1] See the Cambridge Bible.