Right Pursuit

I don’t know about you, but at times, I find the Christianity walk to be a difficult one. It can seem as if the battle against the flesh, and our sinful desires, will never end. From when I wake up in the morning, until I go to bed at night, I know that I am susceptible to the enticements and the dangers of sin. Paul felt that never ending battle, and he encouraged Timothy to continue the fight as well. It says in first Timothy chapter 6, verses 11 and 12:

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Once we become a Christian, we aren’t guaranteed a life without problems or a life without temptation. If we are trying to live a life pleasing to God, and if we have purposed in our hearts to actively pursue what is biblically right and just, there will be spiritual attacks. There will be times of difficulty, struggle, uncertainty, hardship, and pain. But as Paul encouraged Timothy, I encourage you today. Fight the good fight of faith. Flee desires that are contrary to the character of God and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. I encourage you to every day be on your guard, and to every day put on the full armor of God so that you can take you stand against the devil’s schemes.

---

Jesus tells us to take up our cross daily. He tells us that because every day we need to be reminded of our call to him; we need to be reminded of who we belong to. And Paul encourages Timothy to fight the good fight of faith; to take hold, or embrace, the eternal life to which he was called. I encourage you do the same. How? Try focusing only on the current day you are living when it comes to your walk. Live out your current day seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. Don’t think about tomorrow, because the Bible says that tomorrow will have enough problems of its own. Just take up your cross for today. Put on the full armor of God today. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness today. And tomorrow, reset and try to replicate and improve that pattern.

Time Well Spent

There are countless things and opportunities in our world that are enticing to the flesh. As technology advances and the cultural shift continues to align more with what God calls sin, the more accessible and the more acceptable sin becomes. If we ignore, or lose sight of how the Spirit of God is leading us, we might find ourselves giving into desires that we once abhorred. We might find ourselves chasing things that are fruitless or maybe even sinful. Proverbs 23 verses 4 and 5 warns us with these words:

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”

When we die we will be held accountable for how we have spent our time on this earth. Are you spending time chasing things that are fruitless or are you spending your time pursuing things that are spiritually fruitful? We can spend our entire lives trying to acquire wealth, possessions or status; things that are temporary; things that are ultimately fruitless. Chasing riches is what Proverbs highlights in this portion of scripture. But we are also warned in Matthew not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth that will not last, but to store up treasures in heaven that will last forever. Right now might be a good time for us to evaluate what we are spending our time pursuing.

---

Proverbs warns us not to wear ourselves out to get rich. Yes, we need money to survive, but accumulating wealth for the sake of getting rich should not be our goal. It is ultimately a fruitless pursuit. We all need to take stock of how we are spending our time. Are we pursuing things that have eternal rewards? Or are we spending our time pursuing things that are temporary; things that may one day spout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle, as this proverb says? I encourage you to evaluate how you spend your time; that at the end of the day, the Spirit living inside of you and the scriptures that highlight God’s heart will attest that it was time well spent.

Influence God

When it comes to our walk with the Lord, we all want to be perfect, but none of us are. We are sinners and at times we disobey God. Sometimes we disobey him in small ways, and there are other times when our sins are so great that they may result in lasting earthly consequences; consequences that even God may have ordered himself. If you’ve sinned and have wronged God so badly that he has decided to take action against you, I encourage you to do what Ahab did and humble yourself before him. First Kings, chapter 21, verses 27 through 29 says: 

“When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ‘Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.’”

Ahab committed a great evil in the sight of the Lord. His wife encouraged him to have an innocent man killed just so that he could take possession of his vineyard. Verses 25 and 26 says, “(There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)" All of this and the Lord still extended grace. We should never stir God to this level of anger. But if you ever do, remember this story. Humble yourself, fast and repent. Then the Lord may have mercy on you and withhold the level of judgment he had originally carved out for you.

---

Because of the magnitude of Ahab’s transgression, God was about to bring disaster upon him. God didn’t relent completely. His judgment passed along to Ahab’s son. But his grace allowed for it not to happen in Ahab’s lifetime. God acknowledged his repentance and stayed his hand. So remember, true repentance and humility goes a long way with God. Even if you’ve done something incredibly bad, he can still offer grace to you. But it is my hope that for you and for me, it’ll never come to that. If you don’t know already, I encourage you to learn what God likes and what he doesn’t like, and to pursue for former and avoid the later.

Because He Loves

If you are a believer, you are aware of God’s love and faithfulness to us. It is legend, spoken of throughout the Bible and displayed through many historical accounts, parables and psalms. There is a popular hymn titled, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, which highlights how reliable God is and how he is relentless in his love and true to his promises. We depend on his faithfulness, and maybe, at times, we take it for granted. But have you ever considered that God desires our faithfulness as well? As a matter of fact, the Bible explains that when we love God back, and are faithful to him, it makes a huge difference in our relationship with him. Psalm 91, verses 14 through 16 says: 

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Jesus says, “if you love me, you will keep my commands”. And the words of God reflected in this psalm explains that if we love him, he will return our faithfulness with love that manifests itself into action. It says that God will rescue us, protect us, answer us when we pray to him, honor us, and it even says that he will give us long life. All of this, while continuing to hold us close to him. If you think about it, it makes sense. When someone returns your love, doesn’t it inspire you to perform acts of love on them? The same can be said about our God.

---

Psalm 91 shows how God responds to those who love him; to those who are faithful to him. He lavishes them with love that manifests itself into blessings and promises. God is a living being, with feelings and desires. The Bible tells us that God is jealous for us. And like us, when his feelings of love are returned, it only makes him love us all the more. So I encourage you to remember that yes, you can disappoint God when you disobey him, but you can also stir his love for you when you are faithful to him.

Eyes on You

One thing life teaches us is that anything can happen at any time. We like to think that we have control over our lives, but when major, life-altering issues take us by surprise, we realize that control is an illusion. Though we may be able to control what we wear in the morning, we can’t control if, and when, calamity will strike, or when our circumstances will become too big for us. Believers know that there is always one who is in full control. During those times of uncertainty, struggle or impending doom, I encourage you to do what king Jehoshaphat did in second Chronicles chapter 20, which was to keep his eyes on God. It says in verse 12:

“O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

King Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah was about to be wiped out by an army too large to fight. In that moment, he was reminded that on his own, he had no power or control over the situation. But he did have faith enough to believe in the one who always does. He acknowledged that he had no power to face the army; that left to his own devices, he would die that day. He humbled himself, explaining to God that he didn’t know what to do. But he knew enough to keep his eyes on God. Whenever you find yourself in a bad situation that is too big for you, I encourage you to keep your eyes upon God. Unlike those who don’t believe and are without hope when these things occur, we who do believe have hope; hope in the one who can rescue us, heal us, and save us.

---

When king Jehoshaphat saw that his situation was hopeless, he did what many of us would do; he cried out to God. But he didn’t stop there. He put his faith in the one who can save him; the one who is truly in control. He admitted that he had no idea what to do in his own strength, but he kept his eyes on God. There is nothing too big for God. Any situation you have faced, are facing or will face, is well within his control. He made this world with all of the laws that govern it, and he can change and alter those laws if he wants. When Jehoshaphat cried out to God, God answered, and delivered him in a miraculous way. If you’re facing something too big for you, God can deliver you too.