April 18, 2019 FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
1 Timothy 6:11-12, 18-19 “But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
We are called to be fighters! If we are to overcome the ways of the world, we must fight. The fight we are to be engaged in involves both fleeing and pursuing. The starting point, or the realization that we need to fight, is that we see that there is evil present in the world and we also see that God is at work in the world, redeeming and transforming man. If we fail to see these two realities, we are in denial and we have no reason or motivation to fight. The world system that rejects the ways of God, is under the influence of Satan. For example, the world system promotes such things as the idea that we need to take care of number one-ourselves; the goal is personal happiness; the end justifies the means; to get all we can; money and influence are the important things and are the measure of success; material possessions make us happy; and if it makes you happy-do it. The list could go on, but you get the idea. So, to begin with, let us purpose to flee from the ways of this world system. We are to pursue the things of God’s kingdom. Such things as being rich in good works; being generous; love; faithfulness; forgiving; truthfulness; honoring others; encouraging others; and again, the list could go on. We are to pursue living in such a way that our life is in agreement with the gospel, obeying the words and teachings of Jesus. However, in our own strength, we can neither flee nor fight the good fight of faith. As followers of Jesus, and because we are members of God’s kingdom, we are to live with an eternal view, not a temporal view focused primarily on the here and now. If we are wise, we will be making investments in things that matter for all eternity. Investing in the eternal things is spiritual in nature, but it also has a practical aspect to it. Something as simple as giving a drink of water in the name of Jesus to someone who is thirsty is investing in the eternal. As believers, we have been lifted out of living according to the natural and are now able to live a ‘super-natural’ life with eternal consequences because the Spirit of God lives in us. Scripture admonishes us to put on the new man-who we are in Christ, and to walk in the ways of God. So, let us fight the good fight of faith; as we do, we will be taking hold of eternal life-life that has already begun, right here in the ‘nitty-gritty,’ day to day life.
Philippians 1:27 “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”
Blessings,
Buddy
1 Timothy 6:11-12, 18-19 “But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
We are called to be fighters! If we are to overcome the ways of the world, we must fight. The fight we are to be engaged in involves both fleeing and pursuing. The starting point, or the realization that we need to fight, is that we see that there is evil present in the world and we also see that God is at work in the world, redeeming and transforming man. If we fail to see these two realities, we are in denial and we have no reason or motivation to fight. The world system that rejects the ways of God, is under the influence of Satan. For example, the world system promotes such things as the idea that we need to take care of number one-ourselves; the goal is personal happiness; the end justifies the means; to get all we can; money and influence are the important things and are the measure of success; material possessions make us happy; and if it makes you happy-do it. The list could go on, but you get the idea. So, to begin with, let us purpose to flee from the ways of this world system. We are to pursue the things of God’s kingdom. Such things as being rich in good works; being generous; love; faithfulness; forgiving; truthfulness; honoring others; encouraging others; and again, the list could go on. We are to pursue living in such a way that our life is in agreement with the gospel, obeying the words and teachings of Jesus. However, in our own strength, we can neither flee nor fight the good fight of faith. As followers of Jesus, and because we are members of God’s kingdom, we are to live with an eternal view, not a temporal view focused primarily on the here and now. If we are wise, we will be making investments in things that matter for all eternity. Investing in the eternal things is spiritual in nature, but it also has a practical aspect to it. Something as simple as giving a drink of water in the name of Jesus to someone who is thirsty is investing in the eternal. As believers, we have been lifted out of living according to the natural and are now able to live a ‘super-natural’ life with eternal consequences because the Spirit of God lives in us. Scripture admonishes us to put on the new man-who we are in Christ, and to walk in the ways of God. So, let us fight the good fight of faith; as we do, we will be taking hold of eternal life-life that has already begun, right here in the ‘nitty-gritty,’ day to day life.
Philippians 1:27 “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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