1 Timothy 4:15

Ver. 15. Be mindful of these things (μελέτα, found only here and at Acts 4:25, but signifying to care for, attend to, or be mindful of): let them have their proper place in the regard and application of thy soul. Be in them; have your very life, as it were, in such things. On which Bengel remarks: “He who is in them will be less in worldly companies, in other kinds of pursuits, in collecting books, shells, coins, in which many pastors unconsciously spend a great part of their life.” In order that thy progress may be manifest to all: implying, first, that a perceptible advance in the things which constitute a faithful and effective ministry is what may justly be expected even in the most qualified servant of God; and then, that the way to effect this is by a sincere and devoted application to the work itself Here also it is the hand of the diligent which maketh rich though only, of course, when the hand is the instrument of an earnest and willing mind.