I love that God’s word is so consistent. I still amazes me, that you can take two completely separate books in the Bible, like today’s reading, and find so much commonality. It is comforting to worship a God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).
In 1 Timothy 6, Paul is warning Timothy and his church of the evil that is spreading through the people around them. In Jeremiah, God is warning the prophet about the growing wickedness that surrounds him. God tells Jeremiah, be careful of everyone around you. In both cases, the questionable people, had turned from God and were seeking the wrong things. They claimed to be good and yet they were going from sin to sin. They loved money and were seeking it more than anything else. They craved material things that would show their status. They sought success according to what others defined as successful.These warnings came thousands of years ago, and yet they are still true today. It is so easy to listen to the worldly people and messages that surround us.
“You will be happy when...”
“To be a success...”
“If you owned...”
With only this little bit of information, it would be easy to start analyzing all of our
relationships, identify the “bad eggs” and toss them out of our lives. But, this is not God’s way. We will never learn to be victorious in a fallen world if we are trying to get rid of our problems instead of learning to overcome them.
So, what are we to do? The answer is simple: B.F.F.
1. Boast- Do not boast of your riches, your successes, or your wisdom. Boast in the fact that you know the Lord, who is kind, just and righteous. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
2. Flee- I found humor in the fact that Paul says, “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7). All of the material things that the world tells us we “need” to make us happy will still be here when we are gone. These things don’t really matter. “Flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness”.
3. Fight- In a dark world, we have to fight to hold on to truth. “Fight the good fight of faith take hold of the eternal life to which you were called”. (1 Timothy 6:12) We need to know God’s way and hold tight to it.
My husband is a good judge of character. Within the first few moments of meeting someone, he has a fairly good idea of who they are and what they are about. I on the other hand, am not. It takes me a while to know someone and even after being around someone, I am often surprised that they turn out to be completely different than I first thought. It is so hard for me to know who to trust, who to believe and who is truly a person of good character (not just good at acting).
It is hard to find someone who is always a good influence on our lives. But, there is someone we can trust every time, who we can turn to for answers, who will guide us and teach us the right way. God only wants the best for us. He wants to bless us and give us good things, but He will not do it if the cost is our relationship with Him. He wants to be our best friend! He wants to be the first one we reach out to. He wants us to follow Him because He knows what is best for us. The bonus is that the more time we spend with Him, the better women we become.
Lord, I thank you for always wanting the best for me. I don’t want to be a rebellious child. I don’t want to go after the things of this world, but I know at times I do. Please forgive me for the times that I did not seek you first. Please teach me your ways. Change my heart, so that I will pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness rather than the material things that do not last. I want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. I want to seek you first today and everyday. I love you and I thank you for loving me so completely, just as I am. Amen.
Who is your B.F.F? He is calling you right now.
Hugs,
Lynnette
