1 Timothy 4:12 // Summer of Scripture

Welcome to Summer of Scripture on the Naked marriage podcast. For 66 days in a row, we're releasing a short daily devotional for your marriage. Over these 66 days, we'll be sharing one scripture from each of the 66 books of the Bible and talking about how it applies to your life and marriage. Listen to all 66 episodes of these and you'll have a better understanding of God's Word and His perfect plan for your marriage. Let's dive in to today's scripture.

Welcome to day 54. We're in one Timothy today, first of what's called the Pastoral Epistles, where Paul is writing to his protege Timothy. He'll write some similar letters to Titus after this. So in the first letter to Timothy, Paul's instructing this young man of how to live, how to lead. And I Love this verse. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but instead set an example to the believers in what you say, in how you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Now, I think this can be great for us because in place of that, because you are young, if you take that word young out and insert whatever in your life you feel like disqualifies you.

Yes, yes.

Then this relates to all of us. Don't let anyone look down on you because you're young, because you're old, because you're a female, because you're a male, because you are rich, because you're poor, because you're an introvert, because you're an extrovert.

It could be anything.

Anything. And don't let anybody look down on your spouse because they are whatever that is. And you don't look down on them either. They build each other up. Set an example in the way you live. So all of us have the full capacity right now, right in the season of life, to set a positive example. You don't have to wait to someday graduate to this super sphere of spirituality right where you are today. You can start setting the right example and challenging you and your spouse together to do that.

And I think how this relates to marriage, I love. You know, it talks about. It says, be an example to all believers in what you say in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity. I think that. Let's look at this through the lens of being a Christian married couple. You can be an example by what you say to your spouse and about your spouse. You can be an example in the way you live, what you guys do, like how you represent marriage. To the people around you, how you love your neighbors, how you love your kids. Those examples. You can be an example in your love for each other. You know, I will never forget. And this was way before we ever felt any call to marriage ministry. We were youth leaders in our church. And this is before you were actually on staff. Like, we were just volunteer youth leaders. We had other jobs at the time, didn't have kids yet. Newly, I think we were like, maybe two years married. And we were having a relationship series, and we went to our little small groups. And then I think we got into maybe a bigger group and talked about it, too. And they were like, talking about what they hope, what kind of marriage they hope to have one day. And this girl raised her hand and she said, I hope to have a marriage like Dave and Ashley one day. And she was just like, I just love how they love each other, or something to that effect. And we were very struck by that. We were like, they're even looking at. Like, they're watching us and they see that in us. Like, we just hadn't even.

We never thought of ourselves as examples at all because we were so, at the time. So young.

We were so young. Yes, we were, like, and newly married.

But it was the very first time to remember that, like, whether we realize it or not, we're all setting an example. People are watching. And we don't live our lives obsessed with, like, image trying to project a certain image online. None of us should do that. But we need to be very real and healthy in everything that we're doing, because, you know, people are watching, especially those who are coming up behind us, you know, children. And in this case, we had, you know, youth. We weren't even parents ourselves at the time, but we had youth that were looking up to us.

But, you know, at the time, because we were so young, I mean, we were in our. I was barely in my 20s, and you were like, you know, just a little bit ahead of me. We just didn't think of ourselves as examples in that way. And I guess we probably should have, since we were youth leaders. But especially in marriage, we were like, we don't know anything.

Yeah, we're rookies.

But I mean, it just shows you, like, we all are examples to somebody, right? And it really did strike me. And, you know, it says here, being example in your love, I think in marriage, my goodness, just even how we look at each. You guys write me all the time. You say, I love how Dave looks at you, Ashley. If only I could meet, like, the people who aren't married yet. They're like, I just pray that one day I meet a man who looks at me the way Dave looks at you when you're speaking. Like, I literally have had hundreds and hundreds of messages. I love looking at you, and I love the way you look at me. I'm used to it. Like, I don't even. But it's funny to me that someone would even notice the way you look at me. Like, it's such a small thing, but I think that they must see the love in your eyes. And I hope they see the love in my eyes towards him.

I don't know that there are any small things.

It's like, well, but I'm saying, like, we don't even think about that, Right?

But the things we don't think about really matter in the example that all of us are setting. Because it's a reminder that all of us are called to be an example. Like you right now, listening right where you are in your community, in your church, in your office, in your school, in your home, you're an example. People are looking to you.

Yes.

And by the way you speak, by the way you act, by all those things, you're living out your faith in a way that should point people closer to God. None of us are trying to be perfect or anything. Jesus is the only one that's perfect. None of us measure up to that. But all of us are called to be an example of integrity and authenticity that do our best and point people to God.

When I even think in our faith and really in all these things, we can be an example to our spouse, even. You challenge me all the time, and you challenge me in my walk with the Lord and just making sure I'm taking in the word day in some way, Whether that be actually reading a physical Bible or going on my Bible app or listening to a podcast about the Bible. You know, like, how can I get this? Listening to worship music, the way that you teach our sons about the Lord. And, you know, we've had many people in our lives that I've looked up to, you know, when it comes to faith. I just got to see her the other day, this wonderful lady named Jackie, who's been a friend of my family's forever. She, when I was very young, gave me my first Amy Grant tape. This is gonna age me old school. I mean, and I had never heard Christian music, like, Christian pop music. I didn't even know that existed. And I burnt that tape up. Like, tapes got worn out back in the day. And Then I bought her CDs later and she would always say to me, she'd say, I'm praying for you, Ashley. Or God loves you so much, Ashley. And she was the one who invited my family to church. She was the one who took me to church. Sometimes I went to VBS because of Jackie. And I just ran into her, actually, sadly, a friend of mine who passed away's funeral. And at this funeral, it was so sweet. His daughter spoke and it was just gut wrenching, but she was such a. I mean, and it was. God was all over this little girl and you could just see just God moving in her and through her. And she spoke about her dad at this funeral at like nine years old. Okay. And at the end, Jackie. I saw Jackie go up to this little girl and she said to her. And it makes me want to tear up. She said, God loves you and he's got a plan for you. And he's like. And I think. And she's like. And I'm going to reach out to you. I don't want to say her name just to protect this family. But I just thought, man, she is still doing it. She is still changing lives. And just her example, her poise. And just to tell you more about Jackie, she did not have an easy life. Her husband, you know, divorced her and got with another lady and she went through breast cancer. She since had to, you know, keep on going back afterwards. She did survive it, but she's had some scares. And so it's not like this lady's lived some easy life. I mean, she's had hardship after hardship, but she has made it her mission to not only parent her own sons. Well, she has lovely sons who I grew up with. But she is a mother, like a spiritual mother to people that she probably doesn't even realize the impact. I mean, she ministered to my own mother. My mom says Jackie is the one who first introduced her to the Lord as a woman in her 20s. They were neighbors. That's how we got to know Jackie. We were neighbors when I was a baby and her son Jacob was a baby. And so I just want to encourage you out there. I'm sorry I got moved by this. But you never know the impact you're having. You just never know. And be a Jackie. Just be a Jackie.

Be a Jackie. Yeah, I love it. What a great example. And let's be that kind of example. What a great way to end today's episode. Guys, thanks so much for tuning in. Join us tomorrow. Day 55. We'll be in second Timothy. We'll see you then.