Day 7: THIS IS HOW WE WIN!

Bible Reading: 1Timothy 6

I used to like watching wrestling while growing up. There was this particular fight I watched between a guy who had an injured leg and a very stable opponent. The guy with the injured leg really tried his best and actually deserved the win but the stable guy had kept nails in his shoes and used the nails to prick the opponent on his injured leg whenever the referee was distracted in the fight, all because he wanted to win at all cost. The stable guy eventually had his way using the forbidden weapon to win the fight. It was somewhat emotional for me to the extent that I was literally calling the attention of the referee (from my village) to the foul play, hoping that it could change a thing. Well, it changed nothing!

Are there not moments in life’s journey when we feel like the referee is not watching keenly or has been distracted from the action? Do we feel like he is insensitive to our struggles and so we can choose to not play by the rules (probably just a little twist)?

However, from our reading today, we are admonished to fight right and fight good. This is the will of God. Paul literally tells Timothy that we don’t win at any cost in this kingdom. We win applying godly principles.

In today’s reading, Paul reminds us that we are called to a perspective of life that is God inclined and oriented and therefore we should endeavor towards godliness and contentment (a contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God). Our pursuit is Jesus and not things. This awareness must remove every sense of covetousness or any attempt to get our needs met/goals achieved at any cost, even when situations present themselves as though God is a bit distracted. Of course, He is not! We are reminded today that a devout life to God does actually bring wealth, but not wealth/riches at the expense of the God who has called us. 

A devout life does bring wealth but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. 1 Timothy 6:6 MSG

Paul admonishes us to chase after true holiness, justice, faithfulness, love, hope and tender humility. (Vs. 11). 

In whatever you do or wherever you are, you can fight right and fight good by:

• Serving faithfully and honorably (Vs. 1-2) Give your best to whatever you do. Fight against a heart that is passionless. Don’t just serve to collect your pay. As a teacher, don’t just teach to collect your salary. As a contractor, don’t build just to get your gain. Our service to others is first unto God and must be honourable. It must portray excellence and not just be for our material gain. 
• Living with contentment and humility (Vs. 6,17) Our drive and motives for doing things must be right. We must be content and that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t desire a good life but it does mean that we aren’t chasing things and watering down our lives just to get material things.
• Giving generously (Vs. 18) Paul implores us to be willing to share with others. Whatever God gives us is a gift and a trust. He expects us to be a blessing to others. We must never allow coveteousness to take over our hearts.

That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, 1 Timothy 6:6, ‬18 (KJV)‬

We’ve learnt so much in the last six days of Surge reading through 1 Timothy. As we apply the lessons learnt, let’s believe that we are certainly going to be winning in every aspect of life and laying hold on eternal life. This is the good fight and this is how we win!

Something to pray: Pray that God’s grace empowers you always as you incline your heart towards godliness, and that God frees you from every form of covetousness.

Mr. Olawale Aluko
Mr Aluko serves as a Volunteer Leader at Sycamore

 

PostScript:
A big thank you to all our writers who have blessed us in this month’s edition of Surge! We will round off tomorrow evening with a time of prayer, leaning off some of the key lessons from our study of 1 Timothy:

Surge Prayer Hangout, October 2020
Thursday, October 8, 2020
7:00-7:30 pm WAT across all our online platforms