Man of God

"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
1 Timothy 6:11

The phrase, "man of God" has been an important one to me lately. In the Old Testament, many of the prophets were called by this title. In fact, some were known by the phrase, not by their own names. It was common for the people of the day to refer to the prophet as 'the man of God.' But the only reference specifically attributed to a man in the New Testament is found in this scripture. It was written to the pastor, Timothy and penned by Paul the apostle. Why did Paul call him 'man of God?'
    I think the primary reason was to instill confidence in Timothy. He was a young pastor who faced some tribulation because of his age. But Paul was confident in him and knew that God was with him as he did the work of a pastor. It must have encouraged Timothy to hear these words coming from his mentor and hero in the faith. But being a man or woman of God requires some work on our part. Yes, we become men and women of God when we receive Jesus. All heaven knows that and calls us by that name. But for other people to call us that, there must be fruit in our lives that gives them the confidence to give us that honor. 
    There are many negative things in the world that become traps to us. Specifically, Paul had pointed to those who followed false doctrine. He said that these people became conceited and wasted time and energy on meaningless things rather than following the true doctrine of Jesus and him crucified. This is still true today. There are many people and groups who launch out into peripheral teachings that draw attention away from Jesus. Whether it is an overblown teaching about miracles, or angels, or legalistic rules and regulations, these things can distract us and cause us to waste our time. It seems to me that there is no time to waste. God is doing great things now and the time is near for his returning and the physical establishing of his kingdom on the earth. We simply do not have time to run down the rabbit trails of false or misleading doctrine. If instead, we pursue Jesus and his kingdom with all our being, we will be storing up eternal things instead of things that we will later regret. 
    I am encouraged when I hear the Holy Spirit call me a man of God. It settles me and reminds me that I am running a good race. I am seeking God and his kingdom and heaven recognizes it. But I am to live my life so as to convince others that I am a man of God. This is not done for my own glory. Accolades from men are of no value. It is for God's glory that I am to be called a man of God. And the same is true of you. When the evidence of a Spirit-filled life is present in us, others will see that we are men and women of God. They will see it and want to know how to become one themselves. Today, be encouraged as God calls you a man (woman) of God. Then prove it to others by doing exactly what the Father does; He loves people, he yearns for them to know him, and he seeks those who are lost. If we do the same, we are truly men and women of God.