As Paul closes this letter to his disciple Timothy, He gives him some instructions. And these instructions apply to us as well. Timothy was a young leader Paul had trained and sent to Ephesus to deal with wrong teachings in the church Paul had established there. Paul had spent most of the time dealing with those issues but also gave some time to giving his young pupil some tips on how to live his life in a way that brought glory to God and edified the church.

In our verse for the day Paul begins by reminding Timothy who he belongs to, God. Why is it that we need to be reminded of that? It seems that no matter how close we get to the LORD we must be reminded that we are not our own. I thank God for reminders like we have in this verse because it is through this knowledge we are humbled and more able to approach the throne of God.

Paul then goes on to tell Timothy about the direction his life should be moving in. Paul instructs Timothy to run from all the evil things he has described in this letter. This again tells us that we play a role in our relationship with God. God wants us to be holy because He is holy. One of the ways that we will become holy is to run from all the evil things in our lives.

This verse goes on to tell us that it is not enough just to run from those evil things, but we must also be moving toward something else; things that are right and good. If all you do is move away from evil things without a specific direction and purpose, you are likely to find yourself moving toward another kind of evil. You must run from evil towards things that are good and right.

Paul concludes this verse by telling Timothy to pursue a godly life. He is telling Timothy to chase after holiness. In your own life you will find that unless you are running from evil and toward godliness, your life is going to be a shell of what it could be. A godly life that is also marked by faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness does not happen by just sitting around waiting for it to happen. You must desire it and make it the goal of your life.

Paul was calling Timothy to be an example to those in the church he was leading. God is also calling you to be an example to those around you, your family, your ministry, your church, or your community. Learn what it means to live a godly life that is marked by faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Then pursue that life with all your effort while also running from evil. That is a life that pleases God and draws others to Him. Jesus, teach us to live a life that pleases You.

Read: Jeremiah 37:1-38:28; 1 Timothy 6:1-21; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 25:28