August 11, 2024 -- II Timothy 2:22 --The marathon run of Christian faith.
/So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
II Timothy 2:22 ESV
This past summer I met a colleague from Australia. He and his son are distance runners. A few weeks after the church meeting we were attending, he was going to run 25 miles. The problem was his knee was tender because he’d strained it. Despite this, he worked on it every day. Massaging it as necessary. Instead of 10 mile training runs, he cut that down to seven or five. Also, he was consistently jogging a slower than normal pace runs so that his knee would get strengthened to bear the punishment of long runs.
Why mention all this about running? Paul was writing to Timothy. This is likely Paul’s last New Testament letter. Timothy was in Ephesus and he was combatting false teaching there. He needed to confront the heresy with the same vigorous focus a runner uses when his running is hindered by an impediment. Paul used the metaphor of a runner. It is a useful one.
Youthful passions and lusts easily entangle Christians. Unless one’s former sins are decisively attacked and put down they will continually pop up and interfere with the Christian’s marathon for Jesus. So, Christians are to flee their old lusts and passions, that is, to acknowledge their past sinful ways and run away from them. They are to head off in a completely different direction. They are to pursue godliness.
The word pursue has as its first meaning in the original Greek the sense of persecuting. It is used of the authorities when they persecute (pursue, chase down) Christians. To pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, in community with other believers, requires a Christian to persecute, chase down and incapacitate all distractions. To persecute righteousness and faith and love and peace with other Christians is to chase after them, overtake them, and wholly master them in one’s life.
Recently friends of mine have been interviewing for jobs. One of the questions that gets asked is: “what are your faults or flaws”? It is a stumper for many people. Interestingly enough, a spouse or a friend can easily name his flaws. But what is glaringly obvious to others is often something hard to find in oneself. Your hold on Jesus Christ and following Him requires a sharp eye and piercing self-examination and, as Paul noted, this must happen in community—along with those who call on the Lord. The Biblical Christianity expects and requires men and women to run the race of faith in Christ with other believers who can help them uncover all the impediments which would keep them from running for Jesus. Just like my friend from Australia who because he runs with his son has accountability and encouragement. BTW, he nailed the 25 mile run, hitting his stride with a strengthened knee, running alongside his son, achieved the hoped for pace.
O God, the Protector of all who trust in You, without Whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us Your mercy; that, You being our Ruler and Guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal: grant this, O Heavenly Father, for Jesus' Christ’s sake our Lord. Amen.
BCP for the Dominion of Canada
https://youtu.be/LtW8OlUDTkE?si=T0tBENmnyqmuM0e8 “Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult”
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