Life with God

Thursday, March 30, 2017

1st Timothy 6:11: But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. 

St. Paul's "instruction manual" to Timothy, his co-worker in the work of Jesus, includes God's wisdom regarding Timothy's quality of life.

Today, many people use coarse language, sarcasm, and gossip in the attempt to put someone down. Why? Some people think that it's "funny." Still others think, "If he appears not so goody two shoes, then I will look better." Yet again people are just mean to others. And in almost all cases, it is words that do the damage.

And if you are the recipient of these words of sarcasm, coarse language, and gossip, they are not funny. They don't make the person saying them better. It shows the worst side of the person saying it.

So that is why the words for Timothy are great words for us. Paul's encouragement to his "young apprentice" are to "pursue" those qualities and characteristics. God, through St. Paul, is telling us to get up to speed with the "fruit of the Spirit." (See also Galatians 6) Why would we? Our faith in Jesus and what He did is our motivation. Jesus endured the harshness of humanity and its' language. Jesus endured the cross, scorning its' shame, and the attempts to belittle Jesus while He was hanging on the cross. Jesus endured the pain, the shame, and the abuse from the world in order to give to you and me a new life that pursues the ways and life of Jesus. Let's pray.

Dearest God and Father, thank You for sending Jesus to endure it all for us. Thank You for sending Jesus to save us from sin, the devil, and ourselves. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit who gave to us life and power to live the life with God. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all God's children say...