The last couple of weeks I have been able feed my hobby of studying the War Between the States, yes the Civil War. As I walked the hallowed grounds of battle, and as I have tried to discern what occurred at these places, it becomes difficult to imagine how the soldiers on either side felt. One thing that came to my mind while walking these fields of battle, was realizing that they all have one thing in common. What they have in common is that at a certain time in the battle one or both sides had to make the decision to stay and fight our to retreat for safety.
As we enter times in which we agree or disagree with our government and even our churches, some of us may have thought about staying to fight, or retreating to safety. As I study Civil War history, I'm often led to stories of generals that were able to get their troops to stay and fight onto victory. This leads me to write about the Apostle Paul in his first letter to Timothy in which Paul strengthens Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses (ESV).
We see Paul writing this to give Timothy strength in his ministry, and to keep on professing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Timothy did not flee but took the words of Paul and kept on working, knowing who he was and who he belonged to. Paul told Timothy that as long as he followed God's Words, he would be without blemish or blame.
Brothers and Sisters, the same goes for us today, whether it is elections, church politics, or work decisions that do not go your way. Stay in there and fight the good fight, do not flee, do not run, but be assured that as long as we follow God's commands, we will be without blemish or blame.
Fight the good fight, never give up,never surrender!
Pastor Tim.
