Waging the Good Warfare (1 Timothy 1:18)

By Ron Thomas

    The greatest battle a Christian has to engage in is the battle with self; it’s never-ending. There is knowledge about what to do, how to do it, but weakness in making it happen. The Christian knows what to do because the Lord revealed it; the Christian also knows how to get it done because, again, the Lord revealed it. Yet, the application is difficult when the person engaged in the battle struggles with the weakness of the flesh, it’s such a powerful warrior.
    When Paul used the expression he counseled the preacher, Timothy, to prepare himself for the battle ahead. Herein was how he was to engage.
    First, he had God’s gift (1:18).
   Second, the faith he had was to be fully in place with a good conscience (1:19).
   Third, he was reminded of those who threw away their first love, using their failure as an example of what not to do (1:20).
    We can learn from this.

- Ron Thomas preacher for the Sunrush Church of Christ, Chillicothe, OH. He may be contacted through the congregation's website. http://sunrushchurchofchrist.com/