Times Of Swaziland: HOLDING FAITH AND A GOOD CONSCIENCE

HOLDING FAITH AND A GOOD CONSCIENCE
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By David Mathse on 09/11/2018 01:19:00


“HOLDING faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning
faith have made shipwreck,” 1 Timothy 1:18. Reader, I humbly bring you
greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, at such a time as this.
For one reason or another I have not published these short articles for quite
some time; for which thing I personally apologise profusely to you if you have
been following this page.
This being a ‘Comments & Analysis’ page, before setting out to write this
article, I have had to look around me and the country, asking God in my heart
what He would like us to know at such a time as this. And it was during that
spiritual search that the above scripture started talking to me.
For much has happened in the Kingdom of Eswatini between the last article and
this one; elections have come and gone; many pupils have yielded to suicide;
some court cases have continued to stall; the rich have become richer and the
poor have become  poorer; the good, the bad and the ugly as people say.
But one event stands out and deserves singular mention indeed; being the
appointment by His Majesty the King of his excellency the new prime minister of
the Kingdom of Eswatini.
We do heartily glorify the Almighty God of Heaven, thank His Majesty the King
and congratulate his excellency the prime minister for this most deserving
appointment. We indeed cannot find fitting words of welcome to his excellency;
to us his appointment as a Christian is an answer to many prayers, a benefit and
an asset to the kingdom and an acknowledgment of the Kingdom of God.
Reader, the above scripture I share with you today comes from the first personal
letter written by Apostle Paul to his close associate in the gospel: young
Timothy.
The aforementioned verse comes from that passage of the letter which Paul opens
by saying; “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the
prophesies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good
warfare.” Apparently, before his appointment into the leadership of the
church, prophesies had been made over young Timothy’s life.
And Paul was charging Timothy to use those prophesies (the words that God had
spoken through His servants the prophets to Timothy) as the source of strength
for his leadership position. Paul wanted Timothy not to forget God in his
leadership of the church; not to forget the Word of God; to have a reverence and
a fear of God in leadership.
Paul then made the more telling charge, that the young leader should at all
times be ‘holding faith, and a good conscience’ in his leadership position.
He continues to say; “Some having put away concerning faith have made
shipwreck.” Paul goes as far as naming those who made shipwreck; Hymenaeus and
Alexander; and says; “Whom I have delivered unto satan, that they may learn
not to blaspheme,” verse 20. A serious charge indeed!
Reader this Word of God speaks for itself to all of us, especially those who
have been elevated to positions of leadership. And let us meet next week on this
very page as we continue on this subject of ‘holding faith and a good
conscience’. Do please meditate on this scripture and have a blessed weekend
in the name of Jesus Christ. I am Reverend David Mathse of The Family of God
Church International, Matsapha, Eswatini.