August 7, 2005
"How to Keep Your Life in the Will of God"
A Call to Faithfulness—Part 8
1 Timothy 6:11-21
Grabbing a hold of the best life possible:
1. Flee the captivation of things.
But you, man of God, flee from all this...
—1 Timothy 6:11
Question: What has a hold on you?
2. Pursue a passion for purity.
Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
—1 Timothy 6:11 (NLT)
And I command you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey his commands with all purity. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
—1 Timothy 6:13-14 (NLT)
Question: How strong is your passion for purity?
1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10
3. Fight the good fight.
Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.
—1 Timothy 6:12 (NLT)
Question: Is life a luxury cruise or battleship?
1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10
Blessed to be a blessing:
- Be humble.
Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud...
—1 Timothy 6:17a
- Trust God, not wealth.
Tell those who are rich in this world...not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God...
—1 Timothy 6:17b
- Enjoy what God gives you.
(God) richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
—1 Timothy 6:17c
- Employ what God gives you.
Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life.
—1 Timothy 6:18 (NLT)
Question: How are you using God's blessings to bless others?
4. Guard your trust and pass it on.
Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God's grace be with you all.
—1 Timothy 6:20-21 (NLT)
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
—2 Timothy 2:2
Question: How are you doing at passing your faith to someone else?
1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10
Lifework
Are you taking hold of the best life possible? What has tripped you up or captured your attention that will end in disappointment? God's plan is that you flee captivation, pursue a passion for purity, fight the good fight and guard your faith. Commitment: What do you need to refocus your attention on, this week? What commitment is God calling you to make? What one step will you make today?
Prayer: Dear God, it is so easy to get distracted by things that the world says will make me happy. Help me to see the eternal consequences of my actions. Give me a passion for purity so that I might take hold of the life that is really life! In Jesus' name, Amen.
A Call to Faithfulness—Week 8
Personal and Group Study
Getting Started:
- When you were growing up, did your parents tend to push you beyond your limits or overprotect you?
- Are you more likely to take a risk or play it safe? Do you encourage your children to take risks or play it safe?
Digging Deeper: Read 1 Timothy 6:11-21
- From what should Timothy flee? Why? (Look at 1 Timothy 6:3-10)
- What is Timothy encouraged to pursue? What practical ways might he pursue each of these? How will these mark his life?
- How do you take hold of eternal life? What does Paul's fight imagery tell you about the nature of the Christian life?
- As Paul encourages Timothy to fight the good fight, he begins to declare the greatness of God. What things do you learn about God from Paul's description?
- How does Paul encourage Christians to use their wealth? What new truths do you learn as you read verses 17-19?
- When you read verses 20 and 21, how can a Christian today put these truths into practice? What causes Christians today to wander from the faith?
Applying It To My Life
- Are you wandering spiritually or are you in pursuit of the qualities in verse 11? What quality do you desire most to develop in your life?
- If you were to give a friend a summary of how to get the very best out of life, what would you tell them? What would you tell them to flee, pursue, fight, and guard?
- Who needs to hear your summary of how to grab hold of the best in life?
- Who is serving as your life coach? Who are you coaching along the road of life both spiritually and physically?