Paul the
apostle gave instructions to Timothy who was his protege' and the
youthful pastor in Ephesus by telling him of people who would believe
“gain is godliness”
even though the truth was they who desired to be rich would “fall
into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and
perdition.” Paul told Timothy “godliness
with contentment is great gain” and he
should be content with “food and raiment”
because “the love of money is the root of
all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the
faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”.
In chapter six and verse eleven, Paul tells Timothy what he should
“flee” and what he
should “follow”
where we read:
But you, O
man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
The
verse begins, “But you, O man of God, flee these things;”
Paul began this verse with the
word, “But” which
means “in contrast and opposed to” what was previously stated,
“you” which is
directed specifically to Timothy, “O man of God”
or “man who is of the Godhead which consists of God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who is the one and only true God”
“flee” which means
“seek safety by flight, escape from danger, vanish, shun and
run away from” “these things” which refers to the ideas
of “gain is godliness” and “coveting” and having “the
love of money which is the root of all evil”. Paul did not want
Timothy to “avoid” these ideas. He wanted him to run from them.
The verse goes on to
say, “and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith,
love, patience, meekness.” Paul
went on to say, “and follow after”
which means “to run swiftly in order to catch a person or
thing, press on, pursue, and seek after eagerly and earnestly with an
endeavor to acquire” “righteousness” which is “the
doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved
of God, integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of
thinking feeling, and acting” “godliness” or “reverence,
respect and piety toward God” “faith” or “the
conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all
things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
and a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the
Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of
God” “love” which is the Greek word “agape”
and means “affection, good will, benevolence, brotherly and
unconditional love” “patience” or “steadfastness,
constancy, endurance, and an enduring, sustaining and persevering way
of living” and finally “meekness” which means
“gentleness, mildness and by implication, humility”. Paul knew
the most valuable pursuits Timothy could have would be spiritual, and
this list consists of some of the most noble ones he could possess.
While we
meditate upon Paul's words, we see what we should “flee”
and what we should “follow”. The love of riches, material
gain, and other earthly, temporal pursuits not only lend themselves
to “evil” but have the potential to turn us from our faith
and love for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. We should desire “
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience” and
“meekness” because these
spiritual traits not only help us in our walk with Jesus, but also
become ways to demonstrate Him to others. When we have these
spiritual traits as our character, we will have true riches not only
in this world, but also in the world to come. May the Lord add to us
daily these characteristics which He already possesses.
Next
time Paul writes about fighting “the good fight of faith”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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