July 29, 2021 THE RIGHT PURSUIT
1 Timothy 6:9-12, 17-19 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. 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 to the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 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.”
John 10:35 tells us that the scriptures cannot be broken; I know of no clearer example of that truth than the first verse above. Wanting to become rich is the way of the world; who does not want to be rich? Yet, we are all too familiar with the stories of how the pursuit of riches has ruined many lives. The love of money is indeed a root of all sorts of evil. Even though one may say it is not his goal in life to be ‘rich,’ he may still have a love of money. As believers, we are called to something much better and higher than loving money and seeking to become rich; we are called to fight the good fight-the fight of faith. Our desires, our actions, our heart, and our spirit is to be centered on pursuing the things of God; His ways lead to life, fulfillment and contentment. The fight we are to fight is saying no to our ways and the ways of the world, and setting our hearts and attention on the life that God calls us to. Our fight is about pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Note that it is not a sin to be rich in this present world, BUT becoming conceited or trusting in riches is the problem. Those that are rich are to be rich in good works and generous, ready to share. (How we define ‘rich’ is important-many who may not consider themselves rich are actually rich when compared to many in the world.) The main point for us today is to make sure we are fighting the right fight-the good fight of faith-and that we are taking hold of that to which God has called us. To ‘pursue’ or to ‘take hold,” implies action; we do not drift into the things of God. The scriptures make it clear that we are to seek Him first and that we are to practice and to put into action the truths and the commands of His word. Pursuing God first in no way robs us of life, but is the sure way to find and experience life to the fullest. Note that God ‘gives us all things to enjoy’; when He is our pursuit in life, we will discover that we have an abiding joy no matter our circumstances, and we will experience the blessings of God.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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