Paul just got done telling Timothy to “Fight the good fight of faith… and live his life in a way that is free from reproach.” As I was reading this, I was struck by the fact that this can be very difficult to actually live out. How often I get complacent in my daily life. Just plugging along with the normal day-to-day activities, and like a chameleon blending in to my surroundings, whatever they may be (work, home-life, friends, etc.).
We need to remember that this Christian life of ours as Paul calls it, is a “fight of faith.” Keep in mind that this fight is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12). This fight of faith is about eternity. In verse 12 of 1 Timothy 1, Timothy is told to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” This is a call on our lives today. Though it is a future expectation, it is also a present reality.
I’m glad Paul wrote verses 15 & 16 of the chapter. It’s as if he is telling Timothy, yes, the charge I am giving you is a difficult one. However, if we truly keep our eyes and our focus on God, “the only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see,” how quickly our focus changes.
Things truly are put into perspective, when our focus is correctly placed. In this day and age, it is so easy for our focus to shift from where it should be, to the cares of this world. Remember, whatever is bothering you today (relationships, anxiety, family issues, future unknowns, finances, politics, etc.), God is on the throne, and He loves you!
Jonathan Lusk