Du aber, o Mensch Gottes, fliehe diese Dinge, jage aber nach Gerechtigkeit, Gottesfurcht, Glauben, Liebe, Geduld, Sanft! (1 Tim 6:11)
Es ist so leicht, den christlichen Glauben als eine Liste von Verboten darzustellen. "Du sollst nicht...!" Dies ist jedoch eine große Einschränkung des Willen Gottes. Der Herr sehnt sich danach, dass wir das Wesen seines Sohnes darstellen und damit das geschieht, gibt es so viel mehr für uns zu tun als NICHT zu tun. In diesen Versen stellt Paulus einige Ziele für uns dar. Im Neuen Testament finden wir viele andere, ähnliche Verse. Diesen Dingen nachzujagen verlangt von uns Fokus und Aufmerksamkeit. Es dauert nur einen Augenblick wütend zu werden, jedoch inmitten von Versuchungen und Schwierigkeiten Geduld zu beweisen dauert lange; so lange wie die Versuchungen und Schwierigkeiten andauern. Es ist leider nur zu leicht in einer Situation heftig zu reagieren, jedoch sanftmütig zu bleiben, egal was uns begegnet, fordert viel größere Charakterstärke.
Im nächsten Abschnitt schreibt Paulus: "Kämpfe den guten Kampf des Glaubens; ergreife das ewige Leben". Hierfür brauchen wir Kraft und ein Ziel. Es ist ein steiler Weg, denn diese Dinge sind fremd für die Welt in der wir leben. Paulus betet an anderer Stelle für die Gläubigen, dass sie durch den Geist Gottes mit Kraft am inneren Menschen gestärkt werden (Eph 3,16b). Die Stärke des neuen Lebens, das Gott in uns hineinlegt, befähigt uns genau so zu leben wie Jesus.
Lasst uns gemeinsam danach streben, allen um uns herum das Leben Jesu zu zeigen!
01 March 2010
March 2010 - English
But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. (1Tim 6:11)
It is so easy for Christianity to be portrayed as a series of don’t; ‘Thou shalt not …’ as used by the Authorised Version of the bible. But this is a great limitation of God’s purposes. His longing is for us to portray the characteristics of His Son, and to accomplish this, there is so much more to do than not to do. In this verse Paul sets out some objectives for us; and we can find many other similar verses in the New Testament.
To pursue these things requires focus and attention. It takes but a moment to lose one’s temper, but to remain patient in the midst of trials and difficulties, takes time; as long as the trials and difficulties last. Or it is sadly all too easy to respond violently in some situation, but to continue in gentleness whatever situations face us, requires much greater strength of character.
In the next verse Paul goes on to say, ‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life …’ Achieving these things requires strength and purpose; we are facing an uphill battle, because these things are foreign to the world in which we live. That is why, in another letter Paul prays that the believers ‘be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man’ (Eph 3:16b). It is the strength of the new nature that God puts within us that enables us to live the same way as Jesus did.
Let us press on together to show the life of Jesus to all around us!
It is so easy for Christianity to be portrayed as a series of don’t; ‘Thou shalt not …’ as used by the Authorised Version of the bible. But this is a great limitation of God’s purposes. His longing is for us to portray the characteristics of His Son, and to accomplish this, there is so much more to do than not to do. In this verse Paul sets out some objectives for us; and we can find many other similar verses in the New Testament.
To pursue these things requires focus and attention. It takes but a moment to lose one’s temper, but to remain patient in the midst of trials and difficulties, takes time; as long as the trials and difficulties last. Or it is sadly all too easy to respond violently in some situation, but to continue in gentleness whatever situations face us, requires much greater strength of character.
In the next verse Paul goes on to say, ‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life …’ Achieving these things requires strength and purpose; we are facing an uphill battle, because these things are foreign to the world in which we live. That is why, in another letter Paul prays that the believers ‘be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man’ (Eph 3:16b). It is the strength of the new nature that God puts within us that enables us to live the same way as Jesus did.
Let us press on together to show the life of Jesus to all around us!
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