Weekly devotional: Habits of the heart (8 in Paul’s letters to Timothy series)

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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. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time – God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen (1 Timothy 6:11–16).

As Paul brings his letter to conclusion, he warns Timothy not to act as the false teachers, but to “fight the good fight of the faith” (v12). Note his list of spiritual practices for Timothy to embrace – to flee ungodliness, pursue righteousness, take hold of eternal life, keep these commands. We are to live out the gift of life in the kingdom of God every day, employing our wills, minds, and bodies.

Paul in his other letters often speaks of putting off the old self and embracing the new (see Ephesians 4:22–24, for example), again emphasizing this practice as an active one. Living in the fallen world as we do, and being subject to our sinful nature, we need to put on the new self daily. We may do so through such actions as confession and receiving forgiveness, asking for God’s help in making wise and godly choices, and filling our mind with his words.

For we know, as Paul says, that our God is the only Ruler, King and Lord, he who is immortal and unapproachable, but he who makes the way clear for us to rest in his love.

Prayer: Father God, help me shed any of my habits that are unhealthy, that I might live out of my redeemed self.