“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” – 1 Timothy 6:11
The world and our culture encourages, exhorts, and tempts us to chase after the wrong things. We’re told to pursue stuff, stuff, and more stuff. Better stuff. Newer stuff. Faster stuff. Shinier stuff. We’re tempted by temporary things that won’t last beyond our brief lifetimes: wealth, power, status, and fame. As followers of Jesus, we must flee these things!
As Christians, we’re called to pursue the development of our Christ-like character. We’re to pursue virtues that will serve both our earthly lifetime and all eternity thereafter. We’re to pursue virtues that don’t depend on earthly circumstance or situation, virtues that will serve us in prosperity and poverty, freedom and oppression, sickness and health, youth and old age, ability and disability, celebration and sorrow, triumph and tragedy.
Pursue righteousness and godliness, working in the power of God’s Spirit to become increasingly holy and devoted to God, free of sin, and ever more like Jesus. Pursue faith and love, the character of Jesus that visibly demonstrates His reality to the world. Pursue steadfastness and gentleness, the very qualities that allowed our Savior to endure injustice, humiliation, torture, and death to set us free from slavery to sin and death.
These are the qualities that reveal Christ to the world. These are the qualities that help us endure life in a fallen world for the glory of God. These are the qualities that will be honored and rewarded forever in heaven. Pursue these things and leave all that other stuff behind!