The believer’s every endeavour should be done for the Lord and not simply for men. All should be done to the glory of God even to the extent of what man eats and drinks (1 Corinthians 10:31). Before the believer considers changing appearance for the sake of beauty, he or she should ask whether or not this thing will bring glory to God. Before a believer marks his flesh with a tattoo, he should consider the words of His God (Leviticus 19:28). Before spending a great deal of money on one’s appearance, he should ask if God would rather the money be given elsewhere. Every aspect of man’s life is about pleasing the One who created him with and for a specific purpose (Revelation 4:11).
The apostle Paul knew that there would be times when Timothy, as a minister of the gospel, would have to rebuke or correct others. However, Timothy was not to rebuke others on a whim. In fact, Paul specifically laid out two premises which Timothy’s rebuke should follow: “with all longsuffering and doctrine.” Timothy was to rebuke others while suffering with them for a long time, thus longsuffering. He was to exhibit grace by offering others the opportunity to rectify their areas of failure. At the same time, he was to rebuke others with sound doctrine and not simply based upon mere opinion. This was going to be even more necessary as some would begin to depart from sound doctrine and practice (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
