By Timothy J. Peck
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Are
you living the "good life"? In your more reflective times, are you happy
with the lifestyle you've chosen? Throughout the centuries the educated and uneducated
alike have asked themselves, "What is the good life?" Is it the examined
life? Is it the life of pleasure? Is it the "high life" promoted by
a beer company? In 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Paul describes the "good life" for
us from God's perspective.
1.
Fighting the Good Fight (1 Tim 6:11-12a)
To
describe this good life, Paul uses the word picture of a fight. This "good
fight" is one that's fought with faith, not with guns or grenades. It is
a life that pursues righteousness, godliness, faith, love and endurance. This
cluster of character qualities brings a sense of contentment far beyond what worldly
wealth can bring. Paul's point here is that we live the good life by focusing
our energy on our spiritual progress.
The
word picture of a fight is an apt metaphor, for this spiritual progress often
comes with intense effort and against opposition. We only have so much energy
each day. At the end of the day, we're tired, drained from all the energy we've
poured out. Yet how much energy have we investing in our faith? We're fighting
the fight of success, fighting the fight of upward mobility, fighting the fight
of raising our kids, but are we fighting the good fight of our faith? It's like
having a big bucket and several rocks and a pile of gravel. You want to put both
the rocks and the gravel into the bucket. If you put the gravel in first, you
don't have any room left for the rocks. But if you start with the rocks, then
you can pour the gravel in and there's room for it. The rocks are the big things,
the important things in our lives, while the gravel are the less important things.
Start with the rocks each day, and you'll find that you'll have room for the gravel.
2.
Giving the Good Confession (1 Tim 6:12b-16)
Paul's
second way of thinking about the good life is that of a good confession. Paul
reminds Timothy of his own confession of faith, perhaps reminding him of his baptism
or some other spiritually significant experience. Then Paul helps Timothy look
back at Jesus' confession before Pontius Pilate. Christ's confession cost him
dearly. Following Jesus means making our own confession, just as Jesus did. Here
we find that we live the good life by swearing our allegiance to Jesus no matter
what the cost.
How
can you give your own confession to those around you? Have you identified yourself
as a Christian to your coworkers? Have you shared your convictions with your friends?
Confessing your faith in Jesus is the path to the good life.
3.
Laying a Good Foundation (1 Tim 6:17-19)