Whoever teaches something different
and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the religious teaching
is conceited, understanding nothing,
and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes.
We occasionally fall into the trap of arguing for the sake of arguing. This is unhelpful and we know it, so why do we do it? Maybe we have something to prove. And maybe we have something to prove because we don't have what Paul calls "religion with contentment" which is a great gain. Do we always trust in God for our peace and security, without fail? Or do we not rather sometimes seek to build up our own security and even to build our own sense of self-worth? This is a trap as much as the desire to be rich.
Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap
and into many foolish and harmful desires,
which plunge them into ruin and destruction.
Our problem is a lack of contentedness with what we have in Jesus. It is a lack of realization, even, perhaps, while he is in our house, that he is in fact the one thing necessary. When we find disquiet in our spirits and give in to the temptation to pursue fruitless arguing let us turn back to this one thing that can, if we let it, be more than enough for all of our wants and desires.
But you, man of God, avoid all this.
Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion,
faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life,
to which you were called when you made the noble confession
in the presence of many witnesses.
Let us follow Jesus as he proclaims the good news of the Kingdom of God. Let us not try to usurp that proclamation with our own cleverness as if to prove that we have value. Instead let us be thankful that Jesus invites us on this journey with him. Then he will be able to use us as he desires.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.
We cannot earn our relationship with Jesus. Neither cleverness nor wealth nor any other thing can purchase it.
Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
or pay his own ransom to God;
Fortunately, we don't need to. We do pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. We compete well for the faith. We lay hold of eternal life. But we pursue because we are first pursued. We compete because Jesus won the victory for us. We lay hold of eternal life only because he first lays hold of us.
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