1 Timothy 6:11-21m; Psalm 114

1 Timothy 6:11-21
Keep in mind that this is a letter from Paul who is in prison to Timothy, the young pastor at Ephesus. I apologize for being so pokey getting through this, so I thought I had better remind you of what's going on here! Paul has just warned Timothy, as well as the believers at Ephesus, to watch out for false teachers many of whom just want money. Unfortunately, that type of false, money-hungry teachers are still with us today.

Then in v. 11, Paul leaves the instruction on what Timothy and the others should NOT be, and he focuses on the positive--what they should be. This is great advice for all of us. Look at the strong verbs he uses here.

• RUN from all evil things.v. 11
• PURSUE righteousness and a godly life 
• along with faith
• love
• perseverance
• gentleness v. 11
• FIGHT the good fight for the true faith v. 12
• HOLD TIGHTLY to the eternal life to which God has called you v. 13
• OBEY this command without wavering. v. 14

We can easily see that living this Christian life is not a passive thing! To truly please God, it takes action and effort on our part. This is not to say that we have to work for our salvation because we don't. These verses are for believers, for those of us who have been "born again" into God's family.

Those who live for God will have a good testimony before others and will be ready to meet Christ when He is revealed. Then we have a little parenthetical portion about God. Christ (God the Son) will be revealed by God the Father, and the following tells us something about Him. He is "the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will."

Then Paul returns to His instructions for Timothy telling him to teach those who are "rich in this world not be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable." Wow! Is this ever true! Our economy could collapse and any savings or monetary security we have could be gone in an instant. Our trust, like the Ephesians, should be in God, "who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment." We are to use our money to do good. We are to be "rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others." In this way, we are laying up treasures for eternity!

Paul ends this letter with a warning to Timothy to guard what God has entrusted to him and to avoid godless, foolish discussions and arguments. And he wishes God's grace on them all.

Psalm 114
Psalm 114 is a poem about God delivering the people of Israel out of Egypt. It shows us how God controls nature, and no obstacle to too big for Him!  You know, we, as a human race, have made great advances in technology and medicine and communication and many other areas, but we cannot control the forces of nature! Yet God can do anything!

• He can bring us out of our troubles. v. 1
• He can provide for our needs. v. 2
• He can remove barriers and obstacles. vv. 3-6
• He can use all creation to fulfill His plan. After all, he even used rocks to being forth water! vv. 7-8

Do you sometimes feel that there are "mountains" or "rivers" or "storms" or difficulties in your life that have no solution?  Don't ever forget that God is more than equal to any troubles we may face--even those of our own making!