Issue 24 - Day 6

1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6:11-12
11)  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12)  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

There are many things we need to flee in this life, but how much more important what we follow after? Every summer I have a choice of being in London, or Monte San Biagio (near Rome). Of course it is important to leave London and start the journey, however while on that journey, nobody really cares if I have left London. I could leave London in any direction. The important matter is that I take the road to (and a little beyond) Rome. As a man, or woman of God, you have left behind your start point in sin. The question is, what road are you following? Is it the road of righteousness, destination God?

Five things we are encouraged to follow after, with two actions. Follow righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness. All these things are attitudes. From them flows action. If you have an attitude of love toward someone then you will seek do things to help and please them. With a righteous attitude you will seek  to do the things that are right in the eyes of God, and so on. All our lives are drive by our underlying attitudes and we must cultivate these godly attitudes in our lives.
As far as actions are concerned we are instructed to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life. To use the trip to Italy example again, fighting the fight is like putting your foot down on the motorway and taking the most direct route, watching the TomTom for traffic warning so as to avoid them. Finally live eternal life starting now.