Daily Devotional Details

Date

August 25, 2017

Now the overseer is to be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness…  1 Timothy 3:2-3 (NIV)

You see wise judgment in words like: temperate, self-controlled, respectable (3:2), and “not given to drunkenness” (3:3).

  1. Temperate
    Be thoughtful. Don’t make rash or impulsive decisions. Be watchful and vigilant, in your words and in your actions.
  2. Self-controlled
    You do that by developing self-control, which is the fruit of the Spirit. Self-control means that with God’s help you increasingly master your life, your tongue, your moods, and your passions.
  3. Respectable
    Living in this way will cause others to hold you in high respect.
  4. Not given to drunkenness
    This belongs here under wisdom, because drunkenness makes these other qualities impossible. A person who indulges in much wine loses his self-control, and with it, the respect of others. He is unable to exercise wise judgment.

In discerning who should lead, look first at wise judgment. Look at the decisions in a person’s life. Do they bear the marks of wisdom? Look at what a person has said or done, the positions they have taken in times of difficulty. Do you see wise judgment?

The ability to lead others begins with leading yourself. Here’s a goal: Make wise decisions in your own life, so that God may trust you with making decisions for others.

Rate these qualities in your own life from 1 (strongest) to 4 (weakest). Ask God to help you grow in the area of judgment.