“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 for which you made the good confession 
in the presence of many witnesses.  
I direct you in the presence of God, 
who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, 
who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 
that you keep the commandment without fault 
or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which He will bring about at the proper time—
He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, 
the King of kings and Lord of lords, 
who alone possesses immortality
and dwells in unapproachable light, 
whom no one has seen or can see. 
To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
~~1 Timothy 6:11-16~~

As I was looking through my journal the other day, I came across this passage that had been included in a devotional I read a while back.  As verse 11 begins, we are told to flee “these” things.  What things??  Well, in typical Karen form (haha), I went looking back at the previous verses and found that verse 10 answered my question.

“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 griefs.”  

Loving money — making it my focus sets me up to be weakened in my walk with God, as well as to be distracted from my purpose, which is to love God and love people.  So Paul is teaching us what to avoid (striving to make more and more money), and then he is giving us five different qualities to pursue instead.  

Before we look at the five things we are to pursue, I think it wise to make sure we understand what God says “pursue” looks like.  First of all, it’s important to note that the verb “pursue” in this verse is in the imperative voice (it is a command, not a suggestion).  The Greek word for “pursue” is <dioko> and it means: to seek after eagerly (marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest); to earnestly endeavor to acquire something (the word “earnestly” denotes doing something in a serious manner; not lightly, casually, or flippantly).  So, to pursue the following five things is to be so anxious to do them that we take them seriously, not approaching them with a lackadaisical, “hit or miss” attitude.  Now onto the five things we are to pursue.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Righteousness <dikaiosyne> means equity of character or act, referring especially to the person who has been justified by Christ (saved).  <Dikaiosyne> includes the qualities of integrity (being honest and fair), virtue (having morally good behavior or character; beneficial quality or power of a thing), purity of life (purity–meaning, unmixed with any other matter; free from dust, dirt or taint; free from harshness or roughness and being in tune; being thus and no other; free from what impairs or makes ineffective, weak or polluted), uprightness (marked by strong moral rectitude – Synonym: decent, good, honest, right-minded), correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting (correctness means to make or set right; neutralize; to alter or adjust so as to bring to some standard or required condition).  

APPLYING IT.  It’s time to take personal inventory.  

• Am I honest and fair in my dealings with people?  Do I give my employer an honest day’s work or do I take my paycheck, knowing that I didn’t give it my all to earn it?  If I am given too much change at the store, do I return it or do I pocket the money as a “blessing”? 
• Can my behavior be described as beneficial to others or self-serving?  
• Does my behavior reflect God’s standard of right and wrong?
• Is my life reflective of having an undivided heart?  Do I live a consistent life as a follower of Jesus, or am I one way at work and another in church?  
• Can my thoughts be considered good and decent?  We know that “whatever a person thinks, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).  
• Am I correct in thinking, feeling, and acting?  That’s a tall order, isn’t it?!

PAUSE TO PONDER.  God is so merciful and so gracious.  While we have a list of standards we are to keep (integrity, virtue, purity of life, uprightness), God then added “correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting.  Like I said above, that seems like a really tall order.  But looking at the definition of “correct”, it includes altering or adjusting so as to bring to some standard or required condition.  Think about that.  If I alter clothing, it makes what I possess fit better.  If I adjust something, I adapt or conform myself to a “new” condition.  When I consider the word “adjust”, Romans 12:2 comes to mind.  

“And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]..” AMP  

While I adjust my thinking, I am keeping in view that correctness has nothing to do with perfection (we won’t be perfect until we are with Christ).  Correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting has everything to do with progress.  Am I consistantly adjusting my thinking, feeling and acting to align with what God says is right?  

GODLINESS

Godliness <eusebeia> means piety (faithful to natural obligations; dutifulness to religion; devoutness; expressing devotion) especially to the Gospel theme and doctrines that promote godliness. 

PAUSE TO PONDER.  Take a minute and make the definition of piety personal.  

• Am I faithful – steadfast in affection or allegiance to God, family and friends?  Do I keep my work?  Do I fulfill my promises?  Can I be counted on to perform my duties to God and to people?  
• Am I dutiful – filled with or motivated by a sense of duty?  Are my actions stemming from and expressing my knowledge that, as a follower of Jesus, I am obligated to serve and love God and serve and love people?
• Am I devout – expressing faithfulness and fervor (hot, intense feelings or actions)?  Does my behavior, my choices, show that I am seriously committed to following Christ’s example of how to live here on earth?  
• Godliness has more to do with what you “do” than what you “say”.  Godliness is a life that not only does what’s right, but that also “spurs others on towards love and good deeds” as is commanded in Hebrews 10:23-24.  
• What kind of example do I set for others?  Ouch again…

LOVE

Love <agape> means affection (a feeling of liking and caring for someone or something : tender attachment : fondness) or benevolence (disposition to do good: an act of kindness: a generous gift); good-will (willing effort to help or support another).

PAUSE TO PONDER.  Notice that affection is a feeling, while benevolence is an action.  So love is both an inside AND an outside job.  I was impacted by the word “effort” in the definition of good-will.  If something requires effort, it means that it does not come naturally.  Loving others must come supernaturally as we get out of the way, allowing love of God to flow to us and then through us to others.  Are you as thankful as I am about that?  Man, if I had to love some people in my own strength, pursuing love would not be possible.

PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance <hypomone> is defined as cheerful (or hopeful) endurance (the ability to withstand hardship or adversity) ; constancy (steadfastness of mind under duress; loyalty; the state of being unchanging); patience in waiting (the ability to wait a long time without becoming annoyed or upset; the ability to give attention to something for a long time without becoming bored or losing interest); steadfastness (firmly fixed in place; immovable; not subject to change; firm in belief, determination, or adherence; loyal).  

PAUSE TO PONDER.  As we await Christ’s rapture of the church, we must live a life of perseverance.  How do we do that when this world just keeps getting worse and worse?  How do we keep up with current events without becoming annoyed or upset?  How do we keep on serving Jesus when it seems like He is so long in coming for His bride?  The answer is found in Jesus’ example as He endured the suffering of the cross – He looked ahead to what was coming instead of focusing His mind on what was happening to Him here on earth.  

“Let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, 
looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, 
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, 
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 
~~Hebrews 12:1b-2~~

GENTLENESS 

Gentleness <praotes> means mildness, meekness; mildness of disposition; gentleness of spirit.   

PAUSE TO PONDER.  The words “of disposition” and“ of spirit” tell me that gentleness occurs from the inside out.  Your disposition is your prevailing tendency – what you are inclined to do.  Your disposition marks your tendency to act in a certain manner under given circumstances.  

I looked up “gentleness” in the dictionary, and it means mildness (gentle in nature or disposition; not sharp, spicy, or bitter; not being or involving what is extreme; not severe), and meekness (a mild, moderate, humble, or submissive quality; being free from harshness, sternness or violence; kind and amiable).  

APPLYING IT.  Before we look at some self-examination questions, take a minute to think about a sponge.  It is created to soak up liquid.  So what liquid it has soaked up ends up coming out when it is squeezed.  What is in us, what we saturate ourselves with, will be revealed when trying situations arise.  (How’s that for an ouch?!)  Now take a minute to think about these self-examination questions.  It might be ouchie, but be honest.

• • What am I soaking up?  The ways of the culture?  The truths of Scripture?  Other’s opinions or God’s opinions? 
  • What’s my initial reaction to things?  Often the initial reaction will tell us where we have work to do.  
  • When situations arise, do I take time to process it according to God’s perspective and “respond”, or is the filter I use based on how the situation is making me “feel” and thus I “react”?  

I’ll see you back here next time to dig into the charges that Paul issued to young Timothy.