Chose this day who you will serve

 Thoughts on the letter of the apostle Paul to Timothy concerning ministers.


Paul lays out a very precise description of the characteristics of bishops and deacons. I suspect that if Paul were talking to us from across the room instead of through the long tunnel of time, he would call for us to measure ourselves by the same values he set forth for the ordained. The challenge to keep our children under control without losing dignity is something to consider further. All of can think of examples of children who were being poorly managed and those who were well managed. There comes a time though when to attempt to control our children becomes a different kind of problem. At this stage, I really can’t even try to control them. At best, I can influence them but at the end of the day they will choose for themselves the path they will take. In the early days of our marriage we found a beautiful painting of flock of ducks rising into the air from a pond surrounded by cattails. The inscription inset in the border is from Joshua: “Choose this day whom you will serve but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Those of who us are parents of children seeking their own way in world should join together with a prayer that our children will chose this day to serve the Lord.