Pursuing The Things of God With The People of God

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22 LSB) https://accordance.bible/link/read/LSB#2Tim._2:22

 

Repeatedly the Scripture gives us simple summary explanations for what to do and how to do it. As the people of God, we are to walk before God in a manner worthy of God. Since He is holy, we are to be holy. Since He is righteous, we are to be righteous. Since He is just, we are to be just. God is many things all of which we are to pursue and become as well even as He transforms us into His likeness from the inside. Today’s list of virtues to pursue is righteousness, faith, love, and peace. The Scripture does not mandate the minutiae for how to do these things or what exactly doing them looks like but leaves the door open for our prayers, our hearing the Holy Spirit apply them to our lives, and the circumstances of our lives to work them out. We know what love looks like, what peace feels like, when we are exercising faith and when we are living in fear. The Scripture gives us the ends then leaves us to pray, listen to the Holy Spirit, and do the application in our current circumstances with the people of God in our lives. This is the second part, or the how, of application in this passage. We are to pursue these things with the people of God. We need the church, we need one another. Who in our lives is also pursuing these holy things of God? Who is coming to us wanting to seek these things because they see us seeking these same things and find us an encouragement to their Christian growth? We are not islands, we are not to pursue God or the Christian life alone, we are to pursue God and do His will with the people of God so that the world experiences the body of Christ working together in love and thereby becomes drawn to our Head for inclusion into this holy life and family.

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