I read the chapter a number of times wondering where God wanted to me to meditate. There is so much in this chapter. Eventually I landed on verse 22: Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
I pondered the phrase, Flee the evil desires of youth. I don’t know if youth today wrestle with the same things as in Timothy’s day… be that as it may, I pondered the desires of youth. Invincible, risk takers, faith foundations not yet solid, high sexual drive. I’m sure there are many more ‘youthful desires’ but I lingered with these. God says flee these kinds of desires. Why? Because they lead to behaviors that are not godly. Instead God says pursue:
-righteousness… right living before God
-love… that characteristic that is supposed to define Christ-followers
-peace… harmonious relationships with others and God, and
-positive relationships with other mature Christ followers…
As I think about these, they are powerful Christ-honoring ways to live.
The more I ponder these, the more I realize that these are fairly easy to write about but not particularly easy to live out… Oh, how much I need the help and strength of God.
Lord, please help me. These characterizes You ask me to pursue don’t come easily. I cannot master these on my own. I need Your help. These characteristics run counter to my human nature. Please endow me with Your Spirit. Only by the grace of Your Spirit can I master these.
Thank You, Jesus… in Your name, I pray. Amen.
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