Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to myself?
1 Timothy 4:12 has long been a verse of much importance to me, and still is today even now that I am over 40 years of age. People say I look much younger than I am. Also I work with youth, so some people affiliate me with younger folks. Also I am single and celibate. Thus, some people sometimes look down on me, and I often have not been treated with the same respect as peers. It is interesting that people in my church who are single and do not have children are treated with less respect than people who are married and have children, considering that Jesus was single, and did not have children.
Yet how other folks interact with me is not to be my focus. Living in obedience to Jesus is my concern.
And I need to work harder to treat people according to their character rather than according to their lifestyle, such as formal education or financial income.
Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community
In my early days as a follower of Jesus, during much of my 20's and 30's, there were people who recognized that my life was rooted in the love of Jesus. And there are people who still do.
Hunter Irvine
