Nourished up

...thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine... (1 Timothy 4:6)

Paul & Timothy were good ministers of Jesus Christ. They understood the importance of being nourished up in God's word and good doctrine. They also understood that this nourishing up was what others needed as well.

The nourishing up principle is accomplished by counseling, not commanding people, and by dictating truth, not being a dictator.

The dictating commander see's himself as the authority. A good minister see's God's word and God's doctrine as the authority.

The reality is, God’s word cannot be imposed onto someone by commanding force or guilt. A person must be personally willing to learn with a heart full of humility.

Remember, when a seed is placed into soil, both must work together for a harvest to be possible. Without the nourishing nutrients found in good soil, the seed will not be able to grow.