Flee, Follow, and Fight

The world in which we live is full of things that want our attention. They tell us to "log on" to this web site, "don't miss" this TV show, and follow our favorite sports teams. Some of these things aren't too bad to follow, but it is impossible to follow everything. Some things are completely opposed to each other. For instance, it would be hard to be an Ohio State fan and be rooting for the University of Michigan all season long, especially when those two teams were playing each other.
1 Timothy 6:11-12 gives us a little guidance regarding what we should follow. "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."
First, to be a man (or woman) of God, we must flee certain things. Those "things" are found in the previous verses: the love of money (v. 10). A Christian's life is characterized by contentment with what God has given him, not a greedy coveteousness. This kind of attitude and thinking must be avoided; we must flee from it.
Second, with the same effort that we are fleeing from greed and the love of money, we should be pursuing these godly character traits: righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. If you were out in the woods at night and something or someone jumped out of the bushes, you would probably flee from that thing and run to your house or the nearest light or place of safety. We must avoid at all costs ungodliness, and in its place, we should pursue Christlikeness. This list is very similar to the manifestation of a life that is obedient to God's Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).
These character traits are what we to achieve in our lives; it doesn't matter how much money we can get. We want to do what is right, demonstrating our relationship with God, consistent and faithful in our walk, loving and selfless toward others, continuing with endurance and not giving up, and living in a gentle and kind way toward others.
Third, this life is not going to come easy: we must fight the good fight of faith. Maintaining our Christian walk and testimony will not be a walk in the park. Rather, it will be a battle, an intense war that may cost us dearly. But the prize is worth it: eternal life must be seized. This is the life to which God has called us. This is the fight we have pledged ourselves when we turned to God from our sin. We must flee, follow, and fight.

Never Too Young

Ever play follow the leader? It's a great game, as long as the leader gets you headed in the right direction. Perhaps you have been out in the woods with friends at night and you can just barely see the person in front of you. You make sure you keep close enough to keep following.
We have talked enough about leadership and influence in the last couple of months that you probably will not be surprised when I say that people are following you. Others are watching your example. When I say that, you probably are thinking about younger brothers or sisters, kids at school, or other children at church. You want to be a good example to them, to show them how a Christian young person ought to talk and act.
That's great, but I think we can do even better. 1 Timothy 4:12 talks about being an example, but notice to whom we should be examples. "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity." Paul wrote these words to Timothy, who was by no means a kid (he was probably close to 40!), but they ring true for us today.
Your life shouldn't just be an example to younger kids; you ought to be a model Christian for every believer in our church. That's right! The college-aged kids ought to hear your speech and be challenged to speak only those things that are pleasing to God. The young couples in our church should be able to watch your lives and be encouraged that there are teens who want to live in a God-honoring way. Your parents should see your care and concern for each other and desire to demonstrate love to other believers as well. Your faithfulness in standing up for what is right, even when your friends don't always back you up, should be a big boost to our senior citizens, who need to keep pressing on. And of course, the entire church should be proud of the purity of our Christian young people, in spite of the filthy and sinful world in which we live.
In short, you ought to be an example, a model Christian, for our entire church. You are never too young to be an example to the believers. How do you rate? Make sure you don't sell yourself short-- be an example for all the believers.

Purity and Usefulness

Perhaps your mom has some china teacups and saucers at home. They may be beautifully painted or have a gold rim. If they don't just sit on display all the time, she may actually use them to drink tea on special occasions. They are washed carefully by hand---not in the dishwasher. Oh, and you're never allowed to touch them.
In your house you also have another ceramic "bowl"--- yeah, that one. It is not pretty, but it is functional. Usually we keep it covered up or keep the door to its room closed because, while we all know what it's for, we don't talk about it. We aren't proud of it. We don't show it off when people come to our house (except I did when I had just installed a new one by myself). Oh, and you don't wash this one by hand; you use a long-handled brush so you can stand as far away as possible.
What makes the difference between these two ceramic containers? The big difference that affects their use is their purity. Our useableness as Christians also depends on our purity. 2 Timothy 2:20-22 says, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
Paul describes a situation we can identify with: there are many utensils and tools in the house. If we have a dishonorable or disgusting job to do, we use a dirty tool. We don't use the nice silverware to clean up after the dog; we use the dirty old shovel in the garage. Likewise, we don't put a garden trowel on the table to eat with!
If we want to put ourselves in a place where God can use us, we must be pure. We must "purge" or cleanse ourselves from impurity in our lives. We must be "sanctified" or holy, fleeing and avoiding youthful lusts. Instead, we should pursue right living, faithfulness, godly love, and peaceableness, all characteristics that demonstrate the Holy Spirit's control in our lives (Gal 5:22-23). This is the way to be a person that God can use, because usefulness depends on purity.

Holiness is God's Will for You

Many times we want to know God's will for our lives. We want to know if a certain school is God's will. Maybe we desire to know if God would have us play a certain sport. Perhaps, as you look way into the future, you are hoping to someday marry the man or woman who is God's will for you.
Sometimes in our interest in God's will in these areas, we miss God's will where it is clearly spelled out. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 tells us what God's will for our life is. "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." We could put the verse even more simply like this: "For God's will is that you be holy: you should avoid immorality."
God wants your life to be characterized by holiness. Holiness (or sanctification, they both come from the same root words) refers to being separated or different. We can separate our lives from many different things. For instance, I try to maintain a separation in my life from mushrooms. I don't think they look good, smell good, and certainly they do not taste good! If God's will for our lives is that we be holy and separate, what should we separate from?
The second part of the verse explains the first and gives the answer to that question. God's will is that we be separate from immorality. Immorality is any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage. God designed sexual activity for a husband and wife, and any misuse of these gifts outside of marriage is against God's will.
If we want to find God's will for our lives, this is a great place to start: keeping our lives pure. We need to guard our eyes, our minds, and keep our bodies pure for our spouse (or future spouse). This is God's will for you: be holy and avoid immorality!