This Day in History: 0000-01-14

January 14 – 1 Timothy 6:11-16 

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. For,
At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No human eye has ever seen Him, nor ever will. All honor and power to Him forever! Amen. 

Here is the promise, AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords. No matter how discouraged you feel today, or how close you are to giving up, my friend, the promise remains unchanged. There is only one God, and we are not Him. He alone knows the beginning and the end, because He alone IS the beginning and the end! And He has promised us – He has PROMISED us that at just the right time He will come back and finish the story.  So until then… 

Until then, let us live our lives as Paul has charged Timothy here. Let’s be identified as men and women of God. Let’s RUN from all evil, and choose instead to pursue righteousness and a godly life. Remembering that true righteousness can never be achieved in our own strength, let’s pursue a godly life the only way it can truly be pursued – through daily surrender to the Holy Spirit of God who will fill us with His righteousness. Let’s cultivate our faith through daily time spent with God in prayer and Bible study, which will lead us into active obedience to the things He reveals to us. Let’s love unconditionally. Let’s persevere through every trial. And let’s temper every word that comes from our mouth with gentleness. 

My friends, may the wars of our life be waged with valor as we fight the good fight for the true faith. Let’s never waste our energy fighting over things of no eternal significance, and instead save our energy and resources for the stuff of eternity. May we be identified by our integrity so that we will be prepared to stand before our Lord on the day He returns and give an account for our time here on this earth. May every breath we take, every move we make be always and only for His glory! Amen.