But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.. 1Timothy 6:11,12
As a man, and this passage starts out "man of God" so I'm safe in making it gender specific, I find my worth in making a living or pursuing money. When it gets really out of hand, I'm pursuing wealth which is the abundance of money. This passage straightens me out and tells me what I should be pursuing, or it could be titled "What defines success for the Christian man?"
First off I would say personal holiness that pleases God (vertically) and the world notices (horizontally). At my new job in Memphis, I was amazed that before people even knew me, they would cuss in front of me and then apologize. One nurse made friendship bracelets and she gave me one that said WWJD. My only explanation is that somehow they saw Jesus in me and I count that as success.
After righteousness (vertical) and Godliness(horizontal) comes faith. A successful man doesn't always have everything going his way, but he doesn't let it depress or discourage him because he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a God over it all, above it all, sovereign over it all, and that God loves him and is using it in his life for good.
Third mark of a successful man is there is love in his life. He has a great marriage with a loving wife and kids who love him and vice versa. Not only that but he is known for his love for mankind specifically the downtrodden. Since I'm writing this around Christmas, the opposite of this was Ebeneezer scrooge who had everything this world had to offer but no love, making him anything but a success.
Fourth is endurance. A successful man is disciplined. He doesn't get tired out and stop doing quiet times, have a mid-life crisis, suffer burn out, or defect from the faith. He doesn't give up on marriage, the church, etc. but endures and perseveres till the very end. As an old man, the younger ones can look to him as a stalwart of the faith and be encouraged.
Lastly a successful man is gentle and kind. He should be approachable and have time for anybody. He should not be known as a grouchy keep off my grass kind of guy but rather one that realizes that he is in need of grace as much as the next person. Everything he owns and has accumulated, he is actually managing it for the Master.
Are you a success. Could people say to you, "George Bailey, the richest man in town"?
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