Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Timothy 4:15

"Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all." — 1 Timothy 4:15 (ASV)

“Be diligent” means “care for”; it was used frequently in the sense of “practice, cultivate, take pains with,” though it is also possible for this phrase to mean “ponder these things.” Timothy must also give himself completely to what Paul has been writing, so that everybody might see his “progress.” Timothy was to make progress in his own spiritual life and in his effectiveness in the ministry.