“As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and and glory.”
The Few
Paul names three specific actions here, exhorted, comforted, charged, worth noticing this range, not only encouragement alone, comforted, but also genuine challenge, exhorted and charged, this fuller combination named as a father doth his children, the actual, comprehensive pattern genuine, fatherly investment requires.
This is worth examining against however much your own investment in others has leaned toward only comfort, avoiding the genuine exhortation and charging this verse names as equally, fatherly necessary, or has leaned the opposite direction, challenge without corresponding comfort, missing this fuller, balanced pattern.
Notice that ye would walk worthy of God, the specific aim named for this whole combination, comfort and challenge together aimed at this genuine, worthy walking, not comfort for its own sake, not challenge for its own sake, but both together, serving this larger, actual purpose Paul names directly.
Consider today whether your own investment in others includes this full, fatherly range, exhorting, comforting, and charging together, aimed specifically at their walking worthy of God, not merely at their comfort alone or their compliance alone, but this fuller, balanced, genuinely fatherly pattern.
Pour Into the Few
- Examine whether your investment leans too heavily toward only comfort or only challenge.
- Practice the missing element today, whichever is currently thinner in your own pattern of investment.
- Aim your investment specifically at their walking worthy of God, not merely comfort or compliance alone.
Prayer
Lord, let me exhort, comfort, and charge, as a father doth his children, aimed specifically at their walking worthy of you, not merely comfort alone or challenge alone. Amen.
Carry this today
Genuine investment combines exhortation, comfort, and charge, not merely one alone.