Verse of the Day 6/27

Verse of the Day 6/27

1 Timothy 6:11-12  But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.    English Standard Version (ESV) 

The other day we looked at1 Timothy 6:10 where we read that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils".  Roots go down, anchor the plant in the ground.  If you've dug in the ground in your yard you'll often run into the roots of a tree that are quite far from where the actual plant or tree is located.  These roots grow, reach out and wrap themselves around all kinds of things including sprinkler system pipes.  These roots will lift up and crack sidewalks.  The love of money is the root of all kinds of evils, the root may lie beneath the surface in our lives, doing damage below the surface, as it were, but lead to major problems in our lives.

Today's verse call us to flee from the love of money and all of the associated roots that are present in our lives, roots that cause damage to our lives, our families and our faith.  These roots need to be torn up and replaced.  We are to turn from the love of money, flee from it and instead pursue a right standing with God, in our behavior (godliness), with the roots of these things producing faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness in our lives.

The phrase that caught my attention today in verse 12 was "take hold of the eternal life to which you were called".  This is taking what we know and applying it.  It is not grasping something with head knowledge, but holding it close to your heart, to the very core of your being.  John Piper writes, "What is at stake is fleeing covetousness and fighting for contentment by faith in future grace is eternal life."

Today as you head out into the world, be ready to "fight the good fight of faith", taking hold, taking to heart what we have learned, and instead of chasing after things that rust and fade away, pursue with steadfastness  the faith, love, and gentleness spoken of in today's verses.

"Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble."  1 Timothy 6:9-10 The Message

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

1 Timothy 6:9-12 The Message (MSG)

^9-10 But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.

Running Hard

^11-12 But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.