David Tinnion

It’s been 5 years today since David went to be with the Lord. Since then other friends and colleagues have joined him and no doubt David is making every one laugh!

As you know I write a devotional every day. Today I just want to post what I wrote 5 years ago as I was reading through the Book of Acts.

David Tinnion: ‘the believers spoke well of him’ – Thursday 16th March 2017

We continue through Acts verse by verse …

Acts 16:2 “The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.”

This is not the negative ‘when everyone speaks well of you’ from Luke 6:26. This is not ‘everyone’ in our verse today, this is ‘the believers spoke well of Timothy’.

I am sat in my hotel room this morning knowing today will be a very difficult day. My friend of 23 years, David Tinnion, barring a miracle, will probably go to be with His Saviour today. Though my heart is broken and I grieve with his amazing wife Bobbie, I marvel at the messages that come in from around the world.

From central and south America to Europe, Africa and the many eastern and Asian nations, the believers ‘spoke well of him’.

Messages saying how David influenced, shaped, fathered, led, guided, encouraged and empowered them in some way have come flooding in. One leader said David had done more for missions in his retirement than some have done their whole life.

The believers spoke well of Timothy and Paul took that as a guiding reference to bring him onto his team. What believers say about an individual in private can be very helpful for wisdom. Their own encounter with that individual, their own personal stories and truths that perhaps no one else knows, these are the bits of information you need when searching for character issues.

Of course, it is so important to ‘speak well of someone’ to that person in order to encourage them and to keep on doing what they are doing. Through my tears this morning I am thankful that even in the 3 months of this year I remember being able to speak well of David to David on a number of occasions. Even at 70yrs of age a man needs to hear someone speak well of him.

Often we wait till someone has died to speak well of them. It is of course the right thing to do in order to honour their life. But let us use these life-giving words in life as much as we can.

I recommend David to you, the world of Elim and beyond speak well of him, he will be a good friend and help to you. However, the Saviour is calling him today, so your opportunity has gone but David’s has just begun.

For me, I am glad I have an Elim Global representative on earth (Bobbie) and an Elim Global representative in heaven making sure we get our requests in! The Bible tells me a yes on earth is a yes in heaven and a no on earth is a no in heaven. So I just need David to go along with what Bobbie says and Elim will continue to do well around the world!!!