Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Have you heard of the fight or flight response? It's usually a response to something tragic or something where you feel threatened. Our Verse of the Day addresses that, but it's from a little bit of a different perspective.
The “fight” part is captured in our verse but I'm sure you're wondering, where's the “flight” part? It's located in the verse right before it. Let's take a look. It says in verse 11:
But you, Timothy, are a man of God. So run from all of these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. - 1 Timothy 6:11
Then we get into the Verse of the Day, fight the good fight for the true faith.
Understanding True Faith
When we talk about true faith, it's a different time today where a lot of people are talking about your truth or my truth. What is he talking about when he mentions the true faith? He's talking about when he goes on to say, hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you. That's what he's referring to about the true faith. The true faith is the one that leads to eternal life. He's talking about fighting for that.
Some of us may think, well, I'm not really a fighter. Maybe you're the flight part of it. This is a very different take on the fight or flight concept that I'd really love for us to consider wholeheartedly. What Paul is trying to communicate to Timothy has value.
What's Worth Fighting For
We all will have something that we find valuable enough to fight for. No matter who we are, no matter whether fight or flight, we actually will have something that we value to some level that we're willing to fight for it, to protect it. That's what Paul is tapping into here.
He's talking about running away from the evil things. Run away from the bad things but make sure that when you're doing that, you're also embracing and holding tightly to eternal life. Make sure to be fighting for eternal life.
Swimming Against the Current
An illustration that's a little bit sidebar from fight or flight is actually a conversation I had with my daughter. A lot of times we can just get comfortable in a place that we're at in life. Where we think, I don't want to fight. There's so much division, so much going on in the world. I don't want to fight with people. I just want to get along.
What I reminded her of is the world and the spiritual enemy that we actually do confront on a daily basis - it all is a strong current running in one direction, and it's not towards God and it's not towards godly things.
Sometimes we get to the point where it's like, I'm done fighting. This is too much work. I just don't want to keep doing this anymore. I reminded my daughter that with the current being so strong headed in one direction, as soon as we stop swimming and moving against the current, guess what happens? We know when we're in a strong current, there's only one direction we're going to go.
Fighting for What Matters
That's what Paul is talking to Timothy about - it's not about fighting against people. That's not what it is. We're not here to fight people. We're here to love on people. It's worth the fight to protect and hold tightly to what we believe. God has something better on the other side for us.
Please understand, when you're ready to give up, that's when we have to press in and fight stronger. Believe it or not, you may not think you're making a difference, but there's somebody that's watching you. You have no idea that somebody is watching you and saying, I want to be like that. They've got something. Because they're watching what you're embracing, holding onto, and valuing so much - to hold tightly to that eternal life and faith that you have.
Keep Fighting
I would just encourage you - fight through it even when you're ready to give up and call it quits and say, I can't just keep fighting this. I can't keep swimming against the current. Let God fill you up. Today. May it not be about the fight, may be about embracing the love, grace, joy, and peace that only Jesus can give. Embrace that. Protect it. It's worth fighting for today.
We're cheering you on. Keep fighting. Keep going. Keep pressing on towards the cross.
