Fight the good fight of faith,

.... lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called (1 Timothy 6:12). Paul was telling Timothy of things from which he should flee. In particular we should flee the love of money, and the desire to be rich (verses   9, 10).  Paul is not saying that being rich is wrong, nor that money itself is evil. It is the love of it that is the problem (verse 10). Paul also commands those who are rich,  not to be “haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” They should “be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share” (verses 17, 18).  He further councils Timothy and us,  that “there is great gain in godliness with contentment” (verse 6). So then it is the love of money, the desire for riches and the lack of contentment that is the problem.

These things speak loudly to our Western culture, or they should. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements tempting us to buy bigger, better,  more. With regard to contentment,  Paul reminds us we “brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (verse 7).  Our prospective needs to be on the eternal, not on the temporal.  We need to be content with having our basic needs met (verse 8). For those who desire to be rich “fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition”(verse 9).  The Proverb in this morning's readings is relevant here (25:28) “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit,  is like a city broken down, without walls.”  What Paul is saying,  is that when our eyes are on anything other than the Kingdom, we leave ourselves open to any and all attacks from the enemy, and to multitudes of  “temptations” and snares.”

This then is the context of this morning's verse. Paul speaks of our struggles  as the “fight of faith.” It is about faith,  because faith puts it eyes,  thoughts and desires not on things that are seen, on the material, but on things that are unseen, on things that are eternal and of eternal value (2 Corinthians 4:18). It is also the fight of faith, because it is from faith that we gain strength to war against the temptations of  the world the flesh and the devil.   Paul urges us to keep this commandment,   and to do it “without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing” (verse 14).

Father, thank You for the reminder this morning, that we need to keep our eyes on You. It is a battle to do this Lord, there are so many things to distract us, and in many things we all fail. Show us how to lay hold of eternal life, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Thank You for Your forgiveness and cleansing when we fail, and for the grace You give us to will and to do when we fully surrender to You. And we give You praise and glory again this morning in Jesus Name Amen