Two Timothy Two Twenty Two

I have been thinking on and thinking on and mulling over and working on memorizing this verse this week, and I just love it!

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart"

I don't know if anyone else is like me in that I get caught up in the first part of a verse like this "so flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace" and I kind of start thinking about that and forget to keep going!  I really don't know why I do that?  Maybe it's these letters from Paul where his language and writing style are just so full that my brain can't take anymore truth and shuts off:)  But ANYWAY, the last part of this verse almost changes the whole meaning of this to me.  If I had stopped before I made it to the end, I would think that I should be doing these things personally (I mean, I should do that too), privately...kind of working out my own salvation on my own, apart from others to see the messiness and sinfulness and ugliness of some of that process, and then once I emerged triumphant, having successfully fled those passions and excelling at the fruits of the spirit...I could return to face my brothers and sisters in Christ.  And I mean, then I would really have something to be proud of!  I could impress others with my amazing "fleeing" skills, and they would ooh and aaah over my righteousness, faith, love and peace...

And there is a glimpse into the depth of my heart my friends.  If my little self can run to self righteousness and pride, then by golly, it...I will.  It is what I fall back on.  

But, wow, I want to suggest that I think Jesus is working in me and seeking to change this in me.  This has been a humbling last month or two or twelve...you get the picture.  But particularly these last couple months.  I have struggled.  Our family has struggled.  Our relationships in our family have struggled.  We have struggled with some of the relationships in our small community which meets here in Cartersville.  But you know, the second part of this verse is so key for me.  We are to flee the bad and pursue the good, but we are to do it "along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart".  Am I surrounded by believers in my family? Well, yes, some at least.  My husband for one. Am I surrounded by believers at church and in our small community here in Cartersville?  Well, yes.  So then these are some of the people that I can walk through life with, that I can work out my salvation with, that I can allow God to use to teach me, to admonish me, to instruct me, to encourage me, and even to mourn with and rejoice with me. 

I want to work the messy stuff out...the stuff that really humbles you...behind the scenes, out of sight of my fellow believers, but besides that not being the way that our relational God created us, it is not for any of our good and edification.  It isn't helpful to me or any of you.  To see someone lose it from the heaviness of burdens they have been carrying is good I guess (yea, that's me I'm talking about), because it reminds those are us that we are ALL in the same boat here.  No one can just breeze through this life even if it might look like that at times from the outside.  We need...I need...my sisters in Christ to carry my burdens and for me to help carry theirs.  We need...I need...our (my) sisters in Christ to speak truth to us (me) when we are caught believing and feeding on Satan's lies.  We need...I need...our (my) sisters in Christ to rejoice with us (me) and give thanks to the God of GRACE in our lives when we are high and fighting the good fight and feel like the Lord is reigning supreme in our lives!  We need...I need...our (my) sisters in Christ to encourage us (me) to flee what is bad and transient and what is folly, and pursue that which is holy, and right and pure and good.  

So, after all that, I hope that the whole overarching theme of this blog is to do just exactly what "two timothy two twenty two" says and walk through this life, pursuing what is good and fleeing what is not, together, being honest about the trials AND the joys, and seeking to rejoice and encourage and speak truth all together, as one little part of the body of Christ, in all different parts of the world:)


Update:  I just realized that we should probably sign our posts...so...Love, Lindsey