22So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.Do you remember yesterday how we that we need to avoid the dishonourable things in life? Here Paul expands on that a bit.
Avoiding the dishonourable means
- fleeing youthful passions
- pursuing righteousness
- pursuing faith
- pursuing love
- pursuing peace
- doing this with other folks who call upon God with a pure heart
- having NOTHING to do with the foolish, ignorant controversies -- all they are good for is quarreling
- Don't be quarrelsome
- Being kind to everyone
- being able to teach others
- patiently enduring evil
- correcting the opponents of God gently -- who knows if God will grant them repentance? He just might help them escape the snare of the devil.
Helps make things more black and white in what it means to live honourably before God, which helps us be ready for any service that God might call us to.
You know, I've had some folks say to me...But I can't teach!!! But yet they share their lives and how they do things naturally. Everyone can teach, just not all are called to teach in a formal way. And just as everyone can teach, so also can everyone learn to be patient, kind, gentle, loving, and so forth.
It is an action. It is purposeful. It doesn't just happen overnight for most folks. But if we do, ah....but if we do, God can use us to further his glory. Isn't that just too cool? :)
No comments:
Post a Comment