“But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” – 1 Timothy 6:11
Whenever my kids have a day of no school and no extracurricular activities, they always ask to watch TV, play on the computer, or play video games. My wife and I are pretty old-school when it comes to technology, so we try to limit these things as much as possible. So, (any of you who have children probably know what is coming next) their response is often, “Then I have nothing to do!” I have found it very useful to not only tell my kids what they can’t do, but also offer some suggestions on things they can do. You see, if they get started on a craft, building some Legos, or a game of basketball, they quickly forget about the TV, computer, and video games.
The same is true for us as children of God. 1 Timothy 6:11 teaches us two very important words: “flee” and “pursue.” Both are vital to our daily walk. We must flee from the things that go against God’s will and cause us harm. But simply avoiding those things is often unsuccessful because we end up continuing to focus on them…even if that focus is on how much we want to do them but shouldn’t. A vital part of healthy Christian living is pursuing the things of God. Once you set out on a daily journey to find and grow in the things of God, your mind quickly forgets about the prohibitions and finds great joy in the new direction. So I want to encourage you today to flee the things in your life that are causing pain and destruction. But that is not enough. I also encourage you to pursue time in God’s Word, daily devotions, intentional prayer, fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, and opportunities to show God’s love to those around you. Wake up every day committed to “flee and pursue.”
Lord, help us to recognize the ungodly things in our lives and run in the opposite direction. Teach us be intentional about our pursuit of a healthy relationship with You. We want to be so caught up in the things of You that we begin to forget all about the sinful desires of our past.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon