The Gift in Christ: Meditate, Use, and Share

Paul tells Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee,” and that word neglect means to disregard, to give no thought or consideration to it. The gift is not just a talent like singing or preaching, though God gives those kinds of gifts too. The gift in Christ is the glorious gospel, the sweet gift that lets a guilty sinner come boldly before a holy God, not in personal merit, but in the worthiness of Jesus Christ.

First Timothy 1 shows Paul remembering what he was before mercy found him: a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious. Christ Jesus enabled him, counted him faithful, and put him into the ministry. God did not just save Paul and leave him holding something private. God trusted him with the gospel and empowered him to serve with it. That same gift is not meant to sit unused.

The Pharisee spirit thought the law, the lifestyle, and the outward sacrifice made a person usable. The gospel says a right standing before God comes only through Jesus Christ. A godly lifestyle matters, but outward separation does not automatically mean the heart is right before God. The real question is not just what sacrifice is being made, but who it is being made for.

First Timothy 4 gives the gift a duty. The text says to meditate on these things, to give thyself wholly to them, and to take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine. God calls His people to renew the mind, remember unworthiness, and still get all in because He enables what He commands. Even little things like cookies, tables, chairs, sweeping floors, or greeting children matter when a holy God trusts a servant with them.

The word continue means holding on under no condition, without compromising or quitting. God’s word can be trusted because the same word that spoke the world into existence also says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 1 adds that the gospel is not something to be ashamed of, because it is the power of God unto salvation.

Exodus 3 and 4 show Moses asking, “Who am I?” while God answers, “I am.” The rod in Moses’ hand, Jael’s hammer and tent pin, and the lad’s lunch all show that God uses simple things when people obey. The snake by the tail made no sense, and the call still looked scary, but God promised to be with Moses’ mouth. The impossible becomes possible with God, and the call is for full send faith.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Neglect not the gift [28:27] The gift in Christ is too weighty to be treated like background noise. The gospel can be held in the hand and still forgotten in the heart when no time is given to think on it. Meditation keeps salvation from becoming a fact merely remembered instead of a mercy freshly treasured. [28:27]
• 2. God enables the unworthy servant [31:38] Christ does not wait for natural ability before putting a person into ministry. The enabling comes from Him, not from personality, talent, comfort, or confidence. Unworthiness is not an excuse to quit, because the same God who trusts His servant also empowers His servant. [31:38]
• 3. Condition matters more than sacrifice [36:14] The Pharisee spirit can do right things at the right time for the wrong reason. Sacrifice can become a stage for man’s honor instead of a response to God’s mercy. A clean-looking lifestyle cannot substitute for a heart standing rightly before God through Jesus Christ. [36:14]
• 4. Continue without quitting or compromising [42:45] Continuing means holding on when discouragement, distraction, and self-trust start pulling hard. The believer who stops using the gift soon starts forgetting the gift. Confidence must stay anchored in God’s word, because God said “shall be saved,” not “might be saved.” [42:45]
• 5. God uses what is in hand [57:04] The rod looked ordinary until God claimed it for His work. A lunch, a hammer, a tent pin, or a simple piece of paper can become part of something eternal when surrendered to God. The size of the object is not the issue, because obedience puts simple things in the hands of a powerful God.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [24:34] - First Timothy 4 and the Gift in Christ
• [28:01] - What It Means to Neglect
• [29:36] - The Gift Is the Gospel
• [31:38] - Enabled and Trusted by God
• [34:16] - The Pharisee Problem
• [39:05] - God Gives a Duty
• [42:24] - Take Heed and Continue
• [46:27] - What Will Be Done With God’s Gift
• [49:55] - Promote, Participate, and Pray
• [51:05] - Moses Before the Burning Bush
• [53:10] - Who Am I and I Am
• [57:04] - What Is in Thy Hand
• [60:22] - Grabbing the Snake by the Tail
• [66:47] - Full Send Faith with God

Bible Reading

1 Timothy 4:14-16
“Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” [24:47]

1 Timothy 1:12-16
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” [29:41]

Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” [46:45]

Exodus 3:10-12
“Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” [51:10]

Exodus 4:1-4
“And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:” [56:42]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Timothy 4:14-16, what specific commands are given to Timothy about the gift, his thinking, his life, and his doctrine?
2. In 1 Timothy 1:12-16, what words does Paul use to describe what he was before mercy found him, and what does he say Christ did for him afterward? [30:05]
3. What contrast is shown between Moses’ question, “Who am I?” and God’s answer, “Certainly I will be with thee”? [53:10]
4. What simple examples were used to show that God can use ordinary things in His work? [57:04]

Interpretation questions

1. If Paul says, “Neglect not the gift,” and then says, “Meditate upon these things” and “give thyself wholly to them,” what does that suggest about how easy it is for a believer to treat the gospel like something familiar rather than something precious? [38:52]
2. Paul says Christ “enabled” him and “put” him into the ministry after reminding us what he used to be. How should that shape the way a believer thinks about personal weakness, past sin, and usefulness to God? [31:38]
3. The Pharisees were willing to sacrifice, but the deeper issue was condition and motive before God. How can a person do right-looking things in a way that still misses the heart of serving Christ? [36:14]
4. God answered Moses’ fear with His presence and then used the rod already in Moses’ hand. What does that show about the way God usually works through ordinary people and ordinary opportunities? [57:04]

Application questions

1. The gospel can be held in the mind as a fact and still be neglected in the heart. What helps keep Christ’s salvation fresh and personal for you, and what tends to make you drift into treating it like background truth? [28:27]
2. Christ enables what He commands. Where do you most often say, in your heart, “Who am I?” right now—sharing the gospel, serving in church, loving people well, staying faithful, or something else? [53:01]
3. A person can make sacrifices of time, energy, and money, yet still be serving for recognition, routine, or self-approval. When are you most tempted to do the right thing for the wrong reason? [36:14]
4. “Give thyself wholly to them” calls for more than half-hearted service. What would it look like for you to be more “all in” with what God has already placed in front of you? [40:43]
5. Little acts of service matter when they are done for a holy God. Which small opportunities are easiest for you to overlook or treat as unimportant? Tables, cleanup, greeting, giving, inviting, helping children, praying for others? [41:10]
6. Continuing means not quitting and not compromising. What pressures most often make you want to pull back—discouragement, distraction, fear of people, weariness, or self-reliance? [42:45]
7. God asked Moses, “What is that in thine hand?” What is already in your hand right now that could be yielded to God—a conversation, an invitation, a home, a skill, a testimony, a schedule, a simple act of obedience? [57:04]