But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11, ESV)
If you take a scripture out of context, it may lose potency. In other words, a scripture is often illuminated with meaning when it is seen in its placement in the Bible. A scripture does not exist in a vacuum. It is surrounded by other scriptures which illuminate and inform its meaning and purpose. If you yank out a scripture from its place in the Bible, it will lose some of its power and potential to inform, transform, and offer up wisdom and knowledge.
Look at today’s scripture above from 1 Timothy 6:11. I purposely chose this scripture in order to highlight the importance of reading the Bible in context. When you look at this verse initially, it promotes pursuing “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness”. Many people would stop here and think that all this is good. You might deduce that 1 Timothy 6:11 is complete in itself. If so, you’d be wrong.
When I read this scripture, I knew its context was missing. How? Look at the first half of this verse. It says, “O man of God, flee these things” (1 Timothy 6:11a). Flee what things? Because this scripture does not show previous verses of the Bible and their context, you will be missing the whole point of this verse. You see, this verse advocates “fleeing” things, while holding onto “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness”. Without the previous verses, you will miss what God wants you to “flee” or give up in order to grasp things like “righteousness, faith, and love”.
In the scriptures before 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul gives a litany of things that are wrong in the world. 1 Timothy 6 mentions sinful slaves and slaveowners (v. 1-2), people “puffed up” with conceit (v.4), sinful people with a “morbid craving for controversy and disputes about words” (v. 4), depraved ones living in lies (v.5), and especially “those who love money” and lack “contentment” (v. 6-10). Our scripture for today from 1 Timothy 6:11 states explicitly to “flee these things”. Without looking at the context of our scripture for today, you would never know what to “flee” and what to “pursue”. Your understanding of today’s scripture would be lacking.
To bring the context of 1 Timothy 6:11 into full view, look at it this way. This scripture urges you to do the following:
FLEE: sinful relationships related to slavery, conceit, a craving for controversy and disputes, living in lies, loving money, and lacking contentment.
PURSUE: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.
You can only understand the fuller meaning of 1 Timothy 6:11 if you read the verse within the context of what came before it.
With a stronger grasp at what today’s scripture is teaching, let’s meditate on its meaning for you. As you look at the list above of things you should FLEE and things you should PURSUE as a faithful child of God, what kinds of people do these lists remind you of?
As I looked at these lists, I was struck at how much the FLEE list reminded me of the talk show, “The View”. “The View” tries to speak about modern issues, politics, and even faith. The show is run by basically five women. What happens in practically all of their shows? They argue. They complain. They fight about all kinds of issues. They have been sued in court and found lying. They have promoted rich, lavish lifestyles. They definitely have a “morbid craving for controversy and disputes”. In fact, many of their most famous arguments end up online for people to use as fodder for more fighting and arguing and political maneuvering. The FLEE list is an example of worldly views, opinions, and beliefs wrapped up in sinful actions condemned by God’s Word.
As I looked at the above lists, I was also reminded of something with the PURSUE list. The more I concentrated on the words like righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and goodness, the more I began to think of people who have been examples for God. I thought of church friends, fellow pastors, saints, and mentors. I thought of people who were role models for what it means to be a child of God. What is very interesting was that as I thought about the FLEE list of worldly people, a grimace covered my face. As I thought of those on the PURSUE list, a smile took its place on my face.
Let’s be clear, if you pursue any of the actions on the FLEE list, your life will be filled with problems. Your faith will waver. Your joy will be turned to a grimace. If you surround yourself with people who think like those listed on the FLEE list, their influence will cause you a world of hurt. On the contrary, if you flee from those things and people found in the FLEE list while seeking God, things will change. If you devote yourself to those things found in the PURSUE list, your life will emulate holiness and Christ-like living. Not only will you find a genuine smile on your own face, those around you will be blessed.
Every day, you are confronted with possibilities. You may choose to act faithfully. You may choose to love money and lack contentment. You may surround yourself with friends who like controversy and arguments. You may enjoy time with people who are godly and kind. Life is made up of thousands of little and big choices each day. All of those choices you make add up to define your spiritual life. YOU choose what to FLEE and what to PURSUE.
A young woman named Cindy had a deep love of God. She had made a name for herself at work. As a nurse, she was dedicated. Her patients raved about her loving care, kind words, and gentle touch. Cindy was respected by the doctors in her department. Department heads noticed her attention to detail, ability to adapt, and gentle smile. They sought to promote Cindy to a job in marketing. With it, would come a great bump in pay. All that was required was that she be on the road all week visiting different hospitals and suppliers. She was to oversee purchases for products used directly by the nurses and doctors in her department. Cindy was excited about the prospects. She dreamt about what to do with the added income. When she prayed, she was somewhat apprehensive about the change, about giving up care of patients, and about traveling so much. Still, she listened to the “higher ups” and took the advanced position and big bump in salary.
Over the following two years, things began to slowly change in Cindy’s life. Being gone so much affected her relationships. Her boyfriend didn’t like her continual absence and left after six months. When Cindy’s mother broke her hip, Cindy helped pay for home care but could not stop in and check on her mother. As the new job excitement wore off, Cindy began to miss her interactions with patients, time with her friends at the hospital, and more. Cindy came home to a quiet house every weekend… a too quiet house. She began to be lonely. She began to be depressed. Soon, Cindy’s attendance at church began to wane.
Cindy met Kurt at a hospital several hours away. At first, their time together was exciting and filled with passion. However, Cindy’s relationship with Kurt was hit and miss. They seldom had time for each other. Their jobs did not lend themselves to a family lifestyle. Both traveled for their job. Soon, their relationship became more about sex and tingles than anything deep and meaningful.
I would like to say that Cindy is doing well today. She is not. Now in her forties, Cindy is lonely and depressed. Kurt was only a passing fling that fed her loneliness and sadness for a while. Cindy still feels lonely on weekends when not on the road. She has few friends. She is tired a lot and sleeps in on most weekends. She no longer attends worship. Her friends have all started their own families. She feels like a fifth wheel. She has a great home and large bank account, but Cindy’s life (like her home) is mostly empty. The same can also be said of her spiritual life.
Cindy’s time nursing was filled with a lot of the things on the PURSUE list. She had an active spiritual life, close friends, a loving boyfriend, godliness, contentment, and she was constantly rewarded with smiles from appreciative patients. After Cindy’s promotion, a lot of the things on the PURSUE list were replaced with things from the FLEE list. Cindy was not content. She lied to herself about her loneliness and depression. She had more than enough money and a big home, but that home is now devoid of joy and love. Depression should have opened Cindy’s eyes to something being wrong in her life. Instead, Cindy saw it as a medical condition needing medicine instead of a change in her choices.
Look closely at the PURSUE and FLEE lists. How does your life stack up in comparison? How many of your recent choices have placed you in one category or another? What is today’s scripture saying to you? What does God’s Holy Spirit wish of you?
Look at today’s scripture above from 1 Timothy 6:11. I purposely chose this scripture in order to highlight the importance of reading the Bible in context. When you look at this verse initially, it promotes pursuing “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness”. Many people would stop here and think that all this is good. You might deduce that 1 Timothy 6:11 is complete in itself. If so, you’d be wrong.
When I read this scripture, I knew its context was missing. How? Look at the first half of this verse. It says, “O man of God, flee these things” (1 Timothy 6:11a). Flee what things? Because this scripture does not show previous verses of the Bible and their context, you will be missing the whole point of this verse. You see, this verse advocates “fleeing” things, while holding onto “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness”. Without the previous verses, you will miss what God wants you to “flee” or give up in order to grasp things like “righteousness, faith, and love”.
In the scriptures before 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul gives a litany of things that are wrong in the world. 1 Timothy 6 mentions sinful slaves and slaveowners (v. 1-2), people “puffed up” with conceit (v.4), sinful people with a “morbid craving for controversy and disputes about words” (v. 4), depraved ones living in lies (v.5), and especially “those who love money” and lack “contentment” (v. 6-10). Our scripture for today from 1 Timothy 6:11 states explicitly to “flee these things”. Without looking at the context of our scripture for today, you would never know what to “flee” and what to “pursue”. Your understanding of today’s scripture would be lacking.
To bring the context of 1 Timothy 6:11 into full view, look at it this way. This scripture urges you to do the following:
FLEE: sinful relationships related to slavery, conceit, a craving for controversy and disputes, living in lies, loving money, and lacking contentment.
PURSUE: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.
You can only understand the fuller meaning of 1 Timothy 6:11 if you read the verse within the context of what came before it.
With a stronger grasp at what today’s scripture is teaching, let’s meditate on its meaning for you. As you look at the list above of things you should FLEE and things you should PURSUE as a faithful child of God, what kinds of people do these lists remind you of?
As I looked at these lists, I was struck at how much the FLEE list reminded me of the talk show, “The View”. “The View” tries to speak about modern issues, politics, and even faith. The show is run by basically five women. What happens in practically all of their shows? They argue. They complain. They fight about all kinds of issues. They have been sued in court and found lying. They have promoted rich, lavish lifestyles. They definitely have a “morbid craving for controversy and disputes”. In fact, many of their most famous arguments end up online for people to use as fodder for more fighting and arguing and political maneuvering. The FLEE list is an example of worldly views, opinions, and beliefs wrapped up in sinful actions condemned by God’s Word.
As I looked at the above lists, I was also reminded of something with the PURSUE list. The more I concentrated on the words like righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and goodness, the more I began to think of people who have been examples for God. I thought of church friends, fellow pastors, saints, and mentors. I thought of people who were role models for what it means to be a child of God. What is very interesting was that as I thought about the FLEE list of worldly people, a grimace covered my face. As I thought of those on the PURSUE list, a smile took its place on my face.
Let’s be clear, if you pursue any of the actions on the FLEE list, your life will be filled with problems. Your faith will waver. Your joy will be turned to a grimace. If you surround yourself with people who think like those listed on the FLEE list, their influence will cause you a world of hurt. On the contrary, if you flee from those things and people found in the FLEE list while seeking God, things will change. If you devote yourself to those things found in the PURSUE list, your life will emulate holiness and Christ-like living. Not only will you find a genuine smile on your own face, those around you will be blessed.
Every day, you are confronted with possibilities. You may choose to act faithfully. You may choose to love money and lack contentment. You may surround yourself with friends who like controversy and arguments. You may enjoy time with people who are godly and kind. Life is made up of thousands of little and big choices each day. All of those choices you make add up to define your spiritual life. YOU choose what to FLEE and what to PURSUE.
A young woman named Cindy had a deep love of God. She had made a name for herself at work. As a nurse, she was dedicated. Her patients raved about her loving care, kind words, and gentle touch. Cindy was respected by the doctors in her department. Department heads noticed her attention to detail, ability to adapt, and gentle smile. They sought to promote Cindy to a job in marketing. With it, would come a great bump in pay. All that was required was that she be on the road all week visiting different hospitals and suppliers. She was to oversee purchases for products used directly by the nurses and doctors in her department. Cindy was excited about the prospects. She dreamt about what to do with the added income. When she prayed, she was somewhat apprehensive about the change, about giving up care of patients, and about traveling so much. Still, she listened to the “higher ups” and took the advanced position and big bump in salary.
Over the following two years, things began to slowly change in Cindy’s life. Being gone so much affected her relationships. Her boyfriend didn’t like her continual absence and left after six months. When Cindy’s mother broke her hip, Cindy helped pay for home care but could not stop in and check on her mother. As the new job excitement wore off, Cindy began to miss her interactions with patients, time with her friends at the hospital, and more. Cindy came home to a quiet house every weekend… a too quiet house. She began to be lonely. She began to be depressed. Soon, Cindy’s attendance at church began to wane.
Cindy met Kurt at a hospital several hours away. At first, their time together was exciting and filled with passion. However, Cindy’s relationship with Kurt was hit and miss. They seldom had time for each other. Their jobs did not lend themselves to a family lifestyle. Both traveled for their job. Soon, their relationship became more about sex and tingles than anything deep and meaningful.
I would like to say that Cindy is doing well today. She is not. Now in her forties, Cindy is lonely and depressed. Kurt was only a passing fling that fed her loneliness and sadness for a while. Cindy still feels lonely on weekends when not on the road. She has few friends. She is tired a lot and sleeps in on most weekends. She no longer attends worship. Her friends have all started their own families. She feels like a fifth wheel. She has a great home and large bank account, but Cindy’s life (like her home) is mostly empty. The same can also be said of her spiritual life.
Cindy’s time nursing was filled with a lot of the things on the PURSUE list. She had an active spiritual life, close friends, a loving boyfriend, godliness, contentment, and she was constantly rewarded with smiles from appreciative patients. After Cindy’s promotion, a lot of the things on the PURSUE list were replaced with things from the FLEE list. Cindy was not content. She lied to herself about her loneliness and depression. She had more than enough money and a big home, but that home is now devoid of joy and love. Depression should have opened Cindy’s eyes to something being wrong in her life. Instead, Cindy saw it as a medical condition needing medicine instead of a change in her choices.
Look closely at the PURSUE and FLEE lists. How does your life stack up in comparison? How many of your recent choices have placed you in one category or another? What is today’s scripture saying to you? What does God’s Holy Spirit wish of you?