2 Timothy 2:22 - Run from Temptation to Living Right with Faithfulness, Love
2 Timothy 2:22 - Run from Temptation to Living Right with
Faithfulness, Love and Peace.
2 Timothy 2:22 (NKJV) Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue
righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure
heart.
2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT) Run from anything that stimulates youthful
lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace.
Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure
hearts.
2 Timothy 2:22 (CWB) Run from youthful passions; look for what's
right and focus on faith, love and peace. Help those who are doing
the same, serving the Lord with pure hearts.
RESIST TEMPTATION; BUT SOMETIMES THAT MEANS RUN:
"Keep yourself pure," said Paul. Why? Because purity matters.
Even though it might be difficult to remain pure in a sin-stained
world, God requires it. He wants to use you to further his kingdom, but
you need to remain pure if you are to be useful to him.
One of the keys to remaining pure is to keep your
relationship with God a priority so that you will desire to stay within his
parameters for life. You will be hit with temptation from all sides, but
believers are not hopelessly enslaved to sin and impurity. You can RESIST
temptation. You can avoid falling into impurity. Another key to remaining
pure is to be practical. Paul gives Timothy some valuable practical
advice: RUN from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Some
temptations are too strong to confront head-on. You will need to avoid those
situations that put you face-to-face with difficult temptations. Paul did
not stop at mere avoidance. He gave Timothy further practical advice
for pursuing righteous living. One such way is to choose friends who
will be a positive, purifying influence on you. [The One Year Bible
for New Believers re 2Ti. 2:21-22]
Running away from temptation is often the best solution. Running
away is sometimes considered cowardly. But wise people realize that
removing themselves physically from temptation often can be the most
courageous action to take. Timothy, a young man, was warned to flee
anything that produced evil thoughts. Do you have a recurring temptation
that is difficult to resist? Remove yourself physically from any
situation that stimulates your desire to sin. Knowing when to run is as
important in spiritual battle as knowing when and how to fight. (See also
1 Tim. 6:11.) [Life Application SB]
Paul urged Timothy to run away from anything that tempted him
to do wrong (2 Timothy 2:22). Some may consider this to be
cowardly, but wise people run from dangers and from enemies they cannot
fight. They know their limits and respect their weak spots. When the
danger involves temptation, they avoid it altogether. Running from a
strong temptation makes more sense than trying to resist it.
What recurring temptation do you have difficulty resisting?
Avoid any situation that tempts you in that area. Know when to run and
don't be ashamed to do so. There's no point in trying to be tough and
falling into sin as a result (see 1 Timothy 6:11). [The One Year Through
the Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman]
DON'T LOOK BACK
Lot and his family were told to flee from Sodom without looking
back. We who are recovering from alcohol and substance addictions
especially know the danger of "looking back" to our old ways, our old
friends, our former hangouts, and the all-too-familiar euphoria of our
drug of choice. The pull will probably always be there. When we
keep our gaze fixed ahead of us, on God, his will, and our recovery,
however, we will find ourselves on the path toward wholeness. [Life
Recovery Devotional SB]
When you flee from temptation, be sure you do not leave a
forwarding address behind. [unknown]
WHERE TO RUN
The command to FLEE what is wrong is combined with the command
to PURSUE what is right. [ESV SB 2008]
Pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those
who call on the Lord out of a pure heart: Paul continues his
instructions by listing four virtues Timothy should continue to "pursue" (the
use of the present imperative implies the need for Timothy to
continue in the pursuit). He must "pursue righteousness, faith, love and
peace." Paul has already counseled Timothy to develop the first three
virtues in 1 Tim 6:11. Now he adds "peace," something lacking in those
who are involved in "foolish and stupid arguments" and "quarrels"
(vv. 23-24). All "those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart"
seek to develop these characteristics.. [College Press NIV
Commentary]
Temptation is to be avoided by fleeing what hinders, by
FOLLOWING what helps, and by SEEKING the company of spiritual people.
[Ryrie SB]
The more we follow that which is good, the faster and the
further we shall flee from that which is evil. [Matthew Henry
Commentary]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Those Who Follow God Must Flee Evil
The practice of godliness involves the pursuit of holiness
because God has said, "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). Paul
tells us that we have been called to a holy life; we have been
redeemed for that purpose. Any Christian who is not earnestly pursuing
holiness in every aspect of his life is flying in the face of God's
purpose in saving him.
What is holiness? The best practical definition that I have
heard is simply "without sin.".....
John said he wrote his first letter so that his readers would
not sin (1 John 2:1). Most Christians seem content not to sin very
much, but John's goal was that we not sin at all. Every sin, no matter
how small it may seem to us, is an affront to God's authority, a
disregard for his law, a spurning of his love. Because of this, sin cannot
be tolerated in any form, to any degree....
Holiness is not an option but a must for every
Christian....Jerry Bridges [Time With God SB]
SUPPLEMENTAL THOUGHT
Long before there was any TV or radio, John Wesley's mother told
her children that if they wanted to know whether a pleasure was good
or bad, they were to take this rule: Whatever weakens your reason,
impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God,
or takes away your relish for spiritual things; whatever increases
the authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin.
[source unknown]
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