1 Timothy 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.
‘ I’m getting better…I’m getting better!’ Yes Friends, at long last the ole fella is seeing some improvement on the coughing scene, but it’s not quite gone yet, so we’ll still keep our fingers crossed and yet hope in the Lord. (smile) Anyway, yesterday we looked at the things Bruh Paul told Timothy that we should flee from; the unreliable riches of this world. Today we’ll check out those he solemnly advised us to seek; ‘…and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.’ It sure is a lot of goodly stuff that goes against the very grain of man’s nature, but that’s why we have to actively and consciously seek after them and ‘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.’ (1 Tim.6:12) Oh people, it’s not a smooth, easy road that a true believer travels, but a rough and rocky path, constantly being buffeted by the evil wiles of the enemy. Now, knowing this, Bruh Paul implores us to stand strong and ‘fight the good fight of faith;’ the daily struggle with sin and adversity which we all experience. When we’re actively engaged in the battle with sin and tribulation, we’re demonstrating our faith, daily maturing in it, witnessing to others and truly seeking salvation and eternal life, to which, as a Christian, we’re automatically called. And how do we accomplish this imposing task of engaging in the continual struggle? By actively seeking those things Bruh Paul laid out above; righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience and meekness. Whew! It does seem insurmountable, but if we truly believe and seriously buckle down, staying strong in the faith, studying the Word regularly, helping each other and being focused on God, we can do those things. Let’s take a brief look at each attribute. First there’s righteousness. That’s basically behaving and thinking in a right manner; conforming practically in our everyday lives to those behaviour and thought patterns that obey the Lord’s will. We definitely need to begin by doing the right thing, for if we don’t, it negates all else. Then Bruh Paul lists godliness as the next Christian characteristic we should pursue, which means having the proper reverence, respect and appreciation for God; acknowledging His might and majesty, paying due obeisance and obedience to Him. Then comes faith, my brethren. Now that’s the true stickler, the proverbial spoke in the wheel. Faith is what keeps us from giving up, keeps us going on, despite the misfortunes, heartaches and disappointments we suffer in this evil world. That’s the true test of our Christian belief, for it implies a deep-seated trust, complete assurance and confidence in our God; a certainty that He is whom He says He is, and will keep His promises. But the tough, contrary thing about faith is that it needs to grow and mature, to be strong, for us to lead a successful life, but then, faith is only strengthened by trials and tribulation. A vicious circle if there ever was one. However Friends, that should in no way deter us because we also have the most powerful and potent emotional weapon in existence; LOVE! LOVE conquers all things! LOVE is the very nature of God! LOVE makes the world go round! LOVE is the greatest! LOVE is a deep and abiding affection, an undeniable affinity for God and man! That’s why Jesus boiled down the rules to one: LOVE; for God, yourself and your neighbour. But like faith, it’s hard to practice when others are releasing the negative emotions of hate, anger and resentment. Jesus however expects us to rise above these temptations through the power of His Holy Spirit that dwells in the souls of all believers, and with the right kind of attitude and mindset we can prevail, since these awesome attributes of faith and LOVE produce patience in us. That persevering, steadfast, stick-to-it mentality, which allows us to both plod on slowly and also to wait expectantly, creating in effect a spirit of fortitude, that says to the enemy; ‘Now look here Lucifer, ah doh care how difficult life is, how much you tempt and disturb me, I will not give up. I will persevere unto the very end, for my mind, heart and soul are focused on Jesus, the salvation He provided by His death, and His promise of life eternal. That’s way more than what you can truthfully promise, because all you really have to offer is eternal death and damnation. Cheups! Look, get thee behind me and leave me alone eh! Yuh can’t see ah pursuing Jesus business? And yuh real lucky yes boy, cause is only because He want me to be meek, yeh, show gentleness to everybody, that ah don’t knock yuh down and have yuh eating dirt nuh!’ Hn, hn! Yes my Friends, the Christian life is not an easy one to live faithfully, but as we all know, our Creator asks us to do nothing that He hasn’t given us the wherewithal to accomplish. It’s now left up to us to decide how badly we want salvation and eternal life. I assure you, my people, it’s the best offer available in this wicked world. Please take hold of it right now, cause later may just be too late. Much LOVE!…the best way to live life…to live for Christ…
‘ I’m getting better…I’m getting better!’ Yes Friends, at long last the ole fella is seeing some improvement on the coughing scene, but it’s not quite gone yet, so we’ll still keep our fingers crossed and yet hope in the Lord. (smile) Anyway, yesterday we looked at the things Bruh Paul told Timothy that we should flee from; the unreliable riches of this world. Today we’ll check out those he solemnly advised us to seek; ‘…and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.’ It sure is a lot of goodly stuff that goes against the very grain of man’s nature, but that’s why we have to actively and consciously seek after them and ‘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.’ (1 Tim.6:12) Oh people, it’s not a smooth, easy road that a true believer travels, but a rough and rocky path, constantly being buffeted by the evil wiles of the enemy. Now, knowing this, Bruh Paul implores us to stand strong and ‘fight the good fight of faith;’ the daily struggle with sin and adversity which we all experience. When we’re actively engaged in the battle with sin and tribulation, we’re demonstrating our faith, daily maturing in it, witnessing to others and truly seeking salvation and eternal life, to which, as a Christian, we’re automatically called. And how do we accomplish this imposing task of engaging in the continual struggle? By actively seeking those things Bruh Paul laid out above; righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience and meekness. Whew! It does seem insurmountable, but if we truly believe and seriously buckle down, staying strong in the faith, studying the Word regularly, helping each other and being focused on God, we can do those things. Let’s take a brief look at each attribute. First there’s righteousness. That’s basically behaving and thinking in a right manner; conforming practically in our everyday lives to those behaviour and thought patterns that obey the Lord’s will. We definitely need to begin by doing the right thing, for if we don’t, it negates all else. Then Bruh Paul lists godliness as the next Christian characteristic we should pursue, which means having the proper reverence, respect and appreciation for God; acknowledging His might and majesty, paying due obeisance and obedience to Him. Then comes faith, my brethren. Now that’s the true stickler, the proverbial spoke in the wheel. Faith is what keeps us from giving up, keeps us going on, despite the misfortunes, heartaches and disappointments we suffer in this evil world. That’s the true test of our Christian belief, for it implies a deep-seated trust, complete assurance and confidence in our God; a certainty that He is whom He says He is, and will keep His promises. But the tough, contrary thing about faith is that it needs to grow and mature, to be strong, for us to lead a successful life, but then, faith is only strengthened by trials and tribulation. A vicious circle if there ever was one. However Friends, that should in no way deter us because we also have the most powerful and potent emotional weapon in existence; LOVE! LOVE conquers all things! LOVE is the very nature of God! LOVE makes the world go round! LOVE is the greatest! LOVE is a deep and abiding affection, an undeniable affinity for God and man! That’s why Jesus boiled down the rules to one: LOVE; for God, yourself and your neighbour. But like faith, it’s hard to practice when others are releasing the negative emotions of hate, anger and resentment. Jesus however expects us to rise above these temptations through the power of His Holy Spirit that dwells in the souls of all believers, and with the right kind of attitude and mindset we can prevail, since these awesome attributes of faith and LOVE produce patience in us. That persevering, steadfast, stick-to-it mentality, which allows us to both plod on slowly and also to wait expectantly, creating in effect a spirit of fortitude, that says to the enemy; ‘Now look here Lucifer, ah doh care how difficult life is, how much you tempt and disturb me, I will not give up. I will persevere unto the very end, for my mind, heart and soul are focused on Jesus, the salvation He provided by His death, and His promise of life eternal. That’s way more than what you can truthfully promise, because all you really have to offer is eternal death and damnation. Cheups! Look, get thee behind me and leave me alone eh! Yuh can’t see ah pursuing Jesus business? And yuh real lucky yes boy, cause is only because He want me to be meek, yeh, show gentleness to everybody, that ah don’t knock yuh down and have yuh eating dirt nuh!’ Hn, hn! Yes my Friends, the Christian life is not an easy one to live faithfully, but as we all know, our Creator asks us to do nothing that He hasn’t given us the wherewithal to accomplish. It’s now left up to us to decide how badly we want salvation and eternal life. I assure you, my people, it’s the best offer available in this wicked world. Please take hold of it right now, cause later may just be too late. Much LOVE!…the best way to live life…to live for Christ…
SCRIP-BITS 