1 Timothy 5:23 says...
Today's verse is 1 Timothy 5:23, which reads,
No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
Just one verse today and it is one that needs some background information but it also has some lasting application to today. The water of some other nations is a problem, even for today. There are some countries that you are warned not to drink the water because it is polluted and contains more than what your body knows what to do with. Sometimes it has resulted in a trip to an exotic place only to see the four walls of the bathroom.
In those countries that don't have "clean" water, other liquids help counter those effects. Wine is fermented and it has the quality of a disinfectant to kill some of those unwanted "bad guys" who have come in with the water. Paul tells Timothy to take a little wine with his water so that he would not get frequent illnesses and complete the task of the gospel to the Ephesians.
If Paul is telling Timothy to do this then Timothy must have been someone who did not do this practice. There are plenty of Scriptures given to beware of the abuse of wine and therefore to abstain from it. Paul gives Timothy specific instruction on how to use it, in a limited way, for the sake of his health. It is really interesting to me that Paul is concerned about Timothy's health and he addresses what is going into his mouth and then ending up in his digestive system.
Timothy is being hindered in his work of the gospel because he is unhealthy at times and Paul is giving him instruction to be more healthy so that the work of the Gospel can go unhindered. These "temples of the Holy Spirit" need to be cared for and attended to and I fear and I know from personal experience what happens when we don't heed to what goes into our mouths. I learned a lot during my cancer bout about how my digestion either aided the cancer or hindered it. I am all about not making my body a place for cancer to feel at home and it starts with what I put in my mouth.
How is this devotional? It is devotional because we need to see the changes that we need to make with the information that we have to be as healthy as we can for God's service. It is not something to avoid because here it is in the inspired Word of God to be instructed to care for the body. For Timothy it was to take a little wine to counter the effects of the water so that he would not get sick. For us as Christians in a land of clean water, it is probably more the upping of the amount of water that we do drink and the eating of "clean" food that helps our bodies and not hinders them. We probably need to up our exercise amount since we are basically a "sitting" nation.
The message of the Gospel is so important that we look at the physical lives that God has given us and we care for them to the best of our ability so that we can share the Gospel all the more. At times it will mean eliminating things that we have been eating too much of or instituting a life change not for your looks but for your health so that you can go full steam ahead for Jesus. Start the changes today so that you can be healthy to continue to share the message of Jesus. A "little" wine for Timothy could be for you a "little" change here or there that would bring great dividends for your physical service to Jesus. Let's pray.
"Lord, the Bible is practical. It speaks to real physical needs that need to be addressed in our lives. You care about our physical bodies and we need to care for them too. Direct us to those who will help us like Paul did for Timothy to make needed changes that will help us to be healthier for You and therefore our service would increase for You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
Just one verse today and it is one that needs some background information but it also has some lasting application to today. The water of some other nations is a problem, even for today. There are some countries that you are warned not to drink the water because it is polluted and contains more than what your body knows what to do with. Sometimes it has resulted in a trip to an exotic place only to see the four walls of the bathroom.
In those countries that don't have "clean" water, other liquids help counter those effects. Wine is fermented and it has the quality of a disinfectant to kill some of those unwanted "bad guys" who have come in with the water. Paul tells Timothy to take a little wine with his water so that he would not get frequent illnesses and complete the task of the gospel to the Ephesians.
If Paul is telling Timothy to do this then Timothy must have been someone who did not do this practice. There are plenty of Scriptures given to beware of the abuse of wine and therefore to abstain from it. Paul gives Timothy specific instruction on how to use it, in a limited way, for the sake of his health. It is really interesting to me that Paul is concerned about Timothy's health and he addresses what is going into his mouth and then ending up in his digestive system.
Timothy is being hindered in his work of the gospel because he is unhealthy at times and Paul is giving him instruction to be more healthy so that the work of the Gospel can go unhindered. These "temples of the Holy Spirit" need to be cared for and attended to and I fear and I know from personal experience what happens when we don't heed to what goes into our mouths. I learned a lot during my cancer bout about how my digestion either aided the cancer or hindered it. I am all about not making my body a place for cancer to feel at home and it starts with what I put in my mouth.
How is this devotional? It is devotional because we need to see the changes that we need to make with the information that we have to be as healthy as we can for God's service. It is not something to avoid because here it is in the inspired Word of God to be instructed to care for the body. For Timothy it was to take a little wine to counter the effects of the water so that he would not get sick. For us as Christians in a land of clean water, it is probably more the upping of the amount of water that we do drink and the eating of "clean" food that helps our bodies and not hinders them. We probably need to up our exercise amount since we are basically a "sitting" nation.
The message of the Gospel is so important that we look at the physical lives that God has given us and we care for them to the best of our ability so that we can share the Gospel all the more. At times it will mean eliminating things that we have been eating too much of or instituting a life change not for your looks but for your health so that you can go full steam ahead for Jesus. Start the changes today so that you can be healthy to continue to share the message of Jesus. A "little" wine for Timothy could be for you a "little" change here or there that would bring great dividends for your physical service to Jesus. Let's pray.
"Lord, the Bible is practical. It speaks to real physical needs that need to be addressed in our lives. You care about our physical bodies and we need to care for them too. Direct us to those who will help us like Paul did for Timothy to make needed changes that will help us to be healthier for You and therefore our service would increase for You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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