Leave Things Better Than You Found Them

I lived in the woods as a boy. Not in a literal sense but I was fortunate to live in a neighborhood full of guys that were constantly playing football, building forts, and camping out. I was even in the Boy Scouts for a while learning how to build fires, tie knots, and the like.  One of the things we were constantly told was always to leave a place better than you found it. That meant to not only clean up anything we brought in but anything that may have been left by previous campers. It’s interesting that ministry is a lot like that.

I’m not necessarily talking about cleaning up messes from people there before you even though there are times that is very much the case. I’m referring to what is being left behind for those coming behind us. In 2 Timothy Paul is writing his final correspondence to his friend and co-laborer in the faith. In chapter two, verse two he says,

“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach other also.”

If you know me, you know this absolutely one of my favorite verses when it comes to understanding the legacy discipleship entails. I also believe this is the epitome of leaving things better than you found them looks like. You see, this letter was “moments before midnight” as Brent Crowe puts it. Paul’s execution time has been set and is coming up. He’s pretty much alone now and he’s taking this time to write to his protégé Timothy. This is finalizing a life spent seeking to leave the church better than Paul found it. In this, he’s reminding Timothy of the four generations that make a legacy of discipleship function.

Paul (1), leads and pours into Timothy (2), and instructs Timothy to entrust to “reliable men” (3) to teach others (4). In life, there are times that we are like Paul and we’re pouring into others and entrusting they are going to do the same. Other times we’re like Timothy where we have our Paul pouring into us. We still have other “Timothy’s” in our lives to pour into and to equip and empower them to find those that will become their Timothy or maybe their reliable men. The ultimate goal of discipleship is to leave the church and the world better than we found it. It’s not about us but about those coming behind us.

Who is your Paul?

Who is your Timothy and reliable men?

What does it look like for you to leave your church better than you found it?  Please share your feedback and how you’re seeking to live this out.

Photo by Jeff Golenski on Unsplash