But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.  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 6:11-12

I’ve watched several people die…it’s not a particularly pleasant experience.  The closer you are to them, the harder it is.  The longer it takes, the more time you have to think.  That time and that pondering offer an opportunity for personal reflection in a way that no other experience does.  As someone you love is on the brink of entering eternity, what is important in life seems to be much clearer than when we are in the daily race meeting deadlines and running errands, etc.   Knowing that a loved one will shortly meet their Lord and God allows the Holy Spirit to speak to us and apply God’s word to our lives in ways that drive home His message with more depth and understanding.  In short, it is a wake-up call to pursue a life well lived…that is, to live intentionally rather than passively.

In John 11:25-26, Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”  If we are to pursue life the God intends for us and enjoy eternity with Him, the first step is to believe.  It requires belief in our Heavenly Father, Christ…His death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit and that the entire word of God is the solid foundation upon which we must build our lives.  It is an active choice to believe in God and to allow His Spirit and His word to guide us and it is a choice that must be made daily if we are to live lives that are wholly devoted to God.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”  (Colossians 3:2)  Our focus must be on eternity so that the choices we make and the interactions we have are done in a manner consistent with God’s principles.  This also means that we consciously accept that God has ordained the difficult events in our lives to have an eternal purpose for His glory and our good.

If we are to deliberately pursue godliness, we must also constantly watch, guard and protect.

• Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Proverbs 4:26
• Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23
• The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3
• Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

To live well we must also love well.  Christ tells us that the greatest command is to love God with all of our heart, all of our mind and all of our soul.  And we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.  (Matthew 22:37-39)  To love God is to trust Him, talk to Him, draw near to Him, to obey Him…to pursue Him.  Pursue is an active word, it demands diligence and deliberate behavior rather than passivity.  Our love of others will require effort as well since love will involve encouragement, forgiveness and sacrifice.  However, there are many nuances.  The following provide a few of those.

• For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3
• Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7
• Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. Romans 12:10
• And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:2
• Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Colossians 3:14
• So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12
• Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
• And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24
• For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.  Mathew 6:14-15
• Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Ironically, to pursue godliness means to both obey and to flee as addressed by the following passages.

• Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22
• But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 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.  I Timothy 6:11-12
• Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Romans 6:12-13
• Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:26
• Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Psalm 119:1
• But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

The apostle Paul compares our lives to a race.  Like a race, to live well will require endurance.  The following verses encourage us to that end.

• Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9
• Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1
• Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12
• Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8

Finally, as we diligently pursue a life that honors Jehovah and draws us closer to Him, we are to do it to the best of our ability with humility and joy.  (Colossians 3:23-24, 1 Peter 5:5 and Romans 14:17)

The enhanced clarity associated with the death of someone close to us is due to the vivid reminders that death is certain for us as well (barring the Lord’s return) and our own life is but a breath in light of eternity.  As we face these realities, we are more open to the Holy Spirit’s prodding to diligently pursue a life of godliness and His encouragement that the reward for those of us that die in Christ is real and worth the effort.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Will

For anyone interested, the featured image is one of several military cemeteries in Flanders, Belgium for soldiers who died in WW1.  It is quite sobering as is the monument in Ypres.