Resisting the Cultural Currents

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (I Timothy 6:6-12 NIV)

Flee. Pursue.  Fight.  Take hold.  These are words of action, not passivity.  Paul is warning Timothy, and us, that the Christian life cannot be lived passively.  The cultural currents are just too strong.  If you think you can choose to follow Jesus and then just sit back, relax, and enjoy life, you are terribly mistaken.  You will be carried along by the cultural currents just like everyone else.  Your life will be indistinguishable from the unbelieving world.  

Instead, as Paul exhorted Timothy, you must first flee from the common mindset that wealth is the way to contentment and happiness.  Most rich people are anything but content and happy.  Instead, you must pursue things that have lasting value, Kingdom traits that, unlike material possessions, will go with you after you depart this world.  

And as you pursue these things and eschew the riches of this world, you will meet great resistance from those who have little understanding of the things of God.  So you must fight against the temptations that come from them to compromise or to give up your pursuit of God altogether.  And you must grab hold of the promise that is given to those who are faithful to the end.  Even in the face of great resistance, you must hold tightly to that promise.  

Today, take heed of the words of Paul.  It is impossible to truly follow Jesus and just go along and let life happen.  That is a recipe for an indistinguishable life.  You will pretty much look and act the same as everyone else.  Instead, following Jesus is a call to daily action to swim against the cultural currents that eventually lead to death, not life.  

© Jim Musser 2015