Fighting the Good Fight {1 Timothy 6}

Paul's Charge to Timothy

 ¹¹But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
-1 Timothy 6: 11-16


This passage is from the first book of Timothy, which is a letter from the Apostle Paul. In this excerpt, he is calling Timothy to be faithful and to honor and glorify God. Earlier in this chapter, he mentions the dangers of conflict between men who are only out for money and personal gain. He explains the quarrels and conflicts that take place...these men fight with each other over things of the world. I think Paul is trying to help us see the pointlessness in this and the way it leads away from God. Instead of fighting with each other, we need to fight evil and fight for the glory of God and His kingdom.

I hate fighting. I hate conflict or confrontation or disagreement. I've always been afraid of it or viewed it as a negative thing. But when it comes to "fighting the good fight for faith", I need to step it up. I shouldn't be afraid to fight for God, because I can cover myself in His armor and He will equip me with whatever I need. Why should I be afraid? To fight for God's kingdom and to fight WITH God is to be sure of victory. It's like having the MVP of the world on your team. You're gonna pull out the win, as long as you have the courage to suit up and get out there on the field.

I've been talking to a friend lately about the importance of "playing your heart out". Whether it comes to work, relationships, God, or other things in life, what good comes out of investing yourself halfway? As a sports fan and an athlete, its easy for me to relate to the analogy of stepping up on the field. If you don't put in your heart and your time, you're not going to win.
Same goes for God. If you want to fight the good fight for Him, you have to be willing to take risks and put yourself out there. You might get hit. You might get knocked down. But this is God's team and God's fight...He's gonna reach down His hand and set you back on your feet.

Paul also calls Timothy to "take hold of eternal life". We can't forget the end goal and the kingdom we are fighting for. Our Lord is coming. Jesus will appear, and it is our job to be true to Him and to our calling until that day arrives.

Paul ends this excerpt saying "To Him be honor and might forever". It is comforting to know that God rules over all. He is strong, mighty, powerful, and worthy of all our praise.

We need to put our hope in God. Even if its difficult. Even if it's scary.
God has called us to fight the good fight.


Have an awesome day!

Renee