Bible Passage: “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:23 NIV)
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 1:1-6:21
Have you ever seen an overweight football coach and asked, “How can this guy give advice to athletes?”
I recently heard of a guy who a doctor advised needed to lose weight. His response was to brush this off since the doctor himself was overweight. After all, why listen to a guy who is not living the advice he is giving, right?
I stopped and thought about it. Here is a man who, for his own health, needs to take steps and make changes. But he refuses to because his advisor isn’t modeling those changes.
When it comes to our physical and mental health, this world offers a lot of advice, but which voice do we listen to?
In the Book of 1 Timothy, Paul writes to his friend because he genuinely cares for Timothy and wants him to succeed in all God has for him.
Paul writes about grace, worship, church leadership, opposing false teachers, and more. But near the end of chapter five, he slips in one odd piece of advice and tells Timothy to “stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of (his) stomach and (his) frequent illnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:23 NIV).
Why does Paul do this, and what does this have to do with the important stuff—ministry?
Simple: Without being physically healthy, it is very difficult to carry out the spiritual ministry we are called to.
It’s like the player and the overweight coach. If the player writes off the coach’s advice, he will not get stronger, will not be able to perform, and will be on the bench instead of on the field.
When I think of the guy in the doctor’s office, I would say two things to him:
- Good advice from the wrong person can still be good advice.
- He is responsible for his own health, not anyone else’s.
What about you? What is one piece of advice you’ve been given so that you can physically get better?
Listen and take any steps you need to.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for putting people in my life who care about me. Help me to hear You through their advice. Amen.
Reflection: What is one piece of good advice you can apply to your health journey this week?
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