FRIDAY - 10TH OCTOBER, 2025
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Olusola ADEJUMO
HAVE YOU KNOWN MY MANNER OF LIFE? - My Manner of Life Series 007
II Timothy 3:10, KJV
"But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Once you know someone's manner of life, you become a disciple. Disciple is not a word to throw around. Jesus speaking says, a disciple can be as perfected as his Master (Luke 6:40). That doesn't happen unless that disciple has known and is following in the ways of life of his master. If you're not a sharer of the life someone has lived or living, how can you be? Until then, you cannot be successfully called a like.
ESV calls it, "conduct."
You can't follow someone's conduct and not eventually bear fruit like they are doing. Never! That's why I do the works of those ministers God has drawn my heart to learn from - those I took as fathers. A very few of them.
Have you known the manner of life of the fellow you said you're following. ESV translates more simply, "you, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness..."
It's not everyone who comes around you who cares to know or follow fully your manner of life etc. It only takes those who are given you from above. Why did I say that? You cannot inspire every man out there. It may take another person to inspire them.
During my service year in Kastina in 2016/2017, I met another young man called Markson Etta Lane Timothy Benson. He's a Calabar guy who studied in Cameroon and has now been posted to the North of Nigeria for his service year.
I already got anointed and I was used to Christian service having served in different capacities on campus and having done ministry closely with an anointed minister. What I don't know is that someone could see me to learn Christ from. This young man so became attached to me that we went everywhere together, did everything together. We fasted, prayed, and studied. There's nothing I hid from him. I know his background and he knows mine. As a matter of fact, apart from my wife and mother today, he's the only one who knows all my given names, the same way I called out all his names earlier on. Eventually, he knew what Christian service was all about and got trained for it within our limited time together. He saw me live, handle issues, save money and achieve things. Now, he's in Zacharias Tanee Fomum Ministry in Cameroon - a ministry I recommended for him when he shared his passion to be a missionary.
You can't call on someone like Markson to talk about me and he won't tell you my manner of life. He was just drawn to me - liking my presence and I was also open to him. I know why God did that. He does whenever he wants people to be a beneficiary of an anointing He has placed somewhere.
It's the same way God took to attach me to Venerable Johnson Oyebode of Ijebu Anglican Diocese, Church of Nigeria before I left for service in Northern Nigeria. He's an anointed orthodox minister with Christ's life and charisma. Things happen with him. Today, I carry a portion of his prophetic, teaching and minstrel graces. And if you asked me what manner of life Venerable lived, I can tell you till a month ends because I lived with him for over three years in total - going back and forth, learning and observing his life. He's never a covetous man. When he became a Venerable, he yielded up some of the privileges of that office back to the pocket of the church and Archdeacon he oversees, saying, "those were too much. I'm not used to those many privileges." I'm talking of money. Imagine someone returning certain privileges that goes with his office immediately he gets promoted.
That tells you he lives a humble, sober and contented life. He's not a greedy man of God, or one who runs after filthy lucre. I know him! We know him!
His family has been one of the greatest blessers of my life. So, when Paul used the phrase, "but you have fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith etc", Paul was speaking of what he was assured of. He knows how close Timothy had been. He knows he had seen him - observed his life and could serve as a witness of all he had seen.
That's why Paul could call Timothy his son. It is this deep following and observation that made Paul be the one who shaped the doctrinal beliefs of Timothy. Timothy learnt what to believe, how to live and conduct himself from Paul. That can't happen between you and someone and you wouldn't know their ways of life. The question will be, "are you a witness indeed?" Are your eyes and heart really opened to learn Christ through those He's bringing your way. That's the only way through which discipleship happens and character is formed.
PRAYER: Lord, may my life be trusted and approved to be followed.
BIBLE IN A YEAR
Titus 3; Isaiah 65-66
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