Daily Devotional Details

Date

The goal of this command is love… 1 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)

The first thing we are learning about a gospel-centered church is that it exercises gospel faith, which is rooted in truth and growing in love. Nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.

But some people will get distracted: “Some have wandered away…and turned to meaningless talk” (1:6).

It’s very rare that someone decides to abandon the truth. What happens is that people wander. It happens gradually. They lose their moorings, and they drift. You don’t want to be that person. So, you need to be alert to the danger. Here are three warning signs that a person may be in danger of wandering from the truth:

1. Are you always looking for something new?
“Myths and endless genealogies” (1:4), were something new. People who are deeply rooted in Christ are satisfied in Him. If you are always looking for something new, you are the kind of person who could easily wander from the truth.

2. Do you like to talk while avoiding action?
“They have turned to meaningless talk” (1:6). These folks go on and on about how we should do this and how we ought to be that. They are full of pious talk that masks an unholy life. If you see the Bible as a book of ideas to be discussed, rather than truth to be obeyed, you are just the kind of person who wanders from the truth.

3. Do you want to teach more than you want to learn?
“They want to be teachers” (1:7). These folks want a position in the church. They want to teach others, but they don’t really want to learn themselves. If you love to teach, but you do not love to learn, you are in danger of wandering away from the truth.

Are you in danger of any of these? Or do you know anyone who is? Might God want to use you to bring this wanderer back and help them get rooted in the truth?