Thursday, December 16, 2010

Two Exhortations (1 Tim. 6:11)

But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
(1 Timothy 6:11, NASB)

Paul began to wrap up his first letter to Timothy with two exhortations.

The first is a plea: “… flee from these things …” Yesterday, we talked about pursuing riches and the love of money, and these are what Timothy is to flee from—and we need to flee from them as well.

Instead, Paul exhorted Timothy—and us—to “pursue” some specific things (Webster Dictionary definitions):

Righteousness: being in “accord with divine or moral law and free from guilt or sin”

Godliness: being “pious” and “devout”

Faith: “belief and trust in and loyalty to God”

Love: “unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”

Perseverance: “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition”

Gentleness: being “honorable” and “kind”

Oh, my … Paul’s not asking for much, is he? (Too bad you can’t hear the sarcasm in my writing!) Seriously, don’t you read lists like this and think, “How in the world can I even begin to be righteous or godly or gentle?” You wonder, “I have faith, but sometimes it’s hard to persevere.”

Well, you’re right. You won’t be able to fully flee the love of money and pursue the items on that list on your own. The good news? You’re not on your own!

The Holy Spirit is in with you—within you. If you seek His strength and guidance, He’ll help you to pursue those things that will make you more and more like Christ and let Him shine through you.

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