Okay, I admit it. I am not the guy to go to for exercise pointers but I do understand running. When it’s necessary, I run. Someone or something chasing me? I get it. I run. Years ago, I was out running on a cold, frozen Indy morning when I heard something behind me. As I turned, I saw what I thought was a large black dog just about to nip my heels. I turned my head and sped up. Well, at least, I acted like I was running faster. Realizing I was about to be captured, I turned to see my assailant.
The black dog was actually my shadow against snow covered road! Relieved, I slowed my pace and laughed at my vivid imagination.
While clearly this was not a real terror, there do exists some I must flee. Running. Paul advises. Run. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness….(1 Timothy 6:11).
Flee all this…all what?
Well, Paul has just discussed our “…unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind” (1 Timothy 6:4).
There are others but fleeing this desire to argue or debate proves to be challenging, yet Paul urges us to sprint away, run as though our lives depended on it. Words and debate may be necessary at times but very soon we sound like talk-radio hosts whose only real desire is to gather a following, increase their influence and so their marketing prowess. Now, I may be simplifying the issue a bit, but Paul makes the connection as well. Those who have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels do so as a means to financial gain.
So Paul redirects our actions, while we are fleeing this temptation pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Right living captures the meaning here for righteousness. Our lives not our words declare the message of our lives. Pursuing right-living puts to work what we do understand about call of being a Christ-follower. Recently, a good friend of mine describe a process he was going to use to transfer raw video into this seamless, flawless, incredible teaching video. We both laughed as we agreed, “Well, that’s the theoretical view!”
Our debates move from obedience to disobedience while we argue concerning how we might do something but we never quite get around to doing anything. Paul tells us, “Flee this and pursue righteousness!”
Pursue godliness not simply imitation or activity but revealed in devotion to God. Some might define godliness as character or activity but these all flow from devotion to God. Our character transforms out of this devotion. The activity of our lives flow from this devotion. We have all met ‘good’ people who were not devoted to God. Their character reflects a sense of godliness but they were never devoted to God.
We have all, also, played the part, going through the motions of godly activity while our hearts were not devoted to God. In fact, Jesus’ admonition to those who prophesied, preached, cast out demons in his name was ‘…depart from me! I never knew you!” speaks to this reality and quite frankly ought to stir us and even frighten us a bit.
Pursue faith especially in the midst of circumstances which we might interpret as God’s absence or silence. Pursue love as a natural response and with endurance as loving as Christ loved demands continuing sacrifice. Pursue gentleness as without gentleness actions are empty, void and vain.
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Our faithfulness revealed as we pursue these things. Flee from those things others chase after. They are elusive and in the end we lose our lives. Pursue these things faithfully.
Pursuing Faithfulness 