10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:10-12
We hear of the concept of fight or flight. When looking for a “few good men” you don’t choose who might have the natural tendency to run away, but those who will stand and fight, or better, who will run towards the gunfire. A man of God does both. He flees from evil in all its forms, but pursues “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness,” fighting the “good fight of faith,” “taking hold” of the eternal life to which he is called.
We tend to hold on to and run towards things we shouldn’t (money in verse 10, for example) and “wander away” from that which will do us the most good (faith in verse 12, and godliness in verse 11).
These’s a big difference between “holding on to” and “taking hold of.” In one case we keep grasping that which we should release. In the other, we seize that which really matters.
At my age, I’m still anxious about things that the Lord’s delivered on countless times. I’m still hesitant to go “all in” on things I probably should in the realm of ministry, and conversely, to release that which produces little profit so as not to disappoint “men.” To hold or fold?
At the end of his life, Paul was still working on his disciple Timothy to “take hold” of the things that mattered most.
But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5
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