Fight the Good Fight –Thursday, March 22nd, 2007

“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. 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 6:10-12

As I walked into a tight-knit and well-secured “financial” building, I had to smile. Only the Lord could have brought about this meeting. Here I was in a suburb of Dallas, getting ready to share to a group of Christian businessmen and women at their Bible study over the lunch hour. This wasn’t your typical meeting with a local pastor. It wasn’t your everyday meeting with a labeled-ministry. This was a time was with fellow believers in the everyday trenches of life. I have to admit, it was refreshing. By no means were these men and women obligated to come and study the Word of God. By no means did they have to come and hear about God’s faithfulness. It wasn’t in their job title or job description. Yet, by their attendance over the lunch hour, they made an announcement to me; whether they knew it or not, these follows of Jesus were willing to do whatever it takes to ‘fight the good fight of faith.”

You see, these individuals are constantly being surrounded with the bottom line of business ~ making more money. I grew up in a family business, and I knew all to well, we were always in need of a profit. Profit is what keeps businesses afloat. Therefore, PLEASE hear me say ~ there is nothing wrong with money. It is used for many wonderful purposes, including furthering the kingdom of God here on earth. However, when we are absorbed in LOVING money, problems can arise. As Paul wrote to Timothy, by our longings for money, we are even prone to “wander away from the faith.”

By no means do I claim to know the people at yesterday’s Bible Study, BUT there was something that impressed me about these individuals. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the financial and business world, these men and women were subjecting themselves to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” They were making time in their fast-paced world (with blackberries, cell phones, and never-ending meetings) to study the Word of God. The possibility of being surrounded with desires for materialism was being combated by the personal pursuit of God. God was their focus for that day. What a source of encouragement!

By spending a brief hour with these individuals, simply by their attendance, I was encouraged that regardless of the work environment, a church or a business, we all must remember to “take hold of the eternal life to which (we) were called.” We don’t’ have to be an ordained pastor to study the Bible during the day. We don’t have to be a missionary in order to pray with other people at our workplace. Therefore, let’s pray that as the body of Christ, regardless of our occupation continues to pursue a holy life. For when our focus is on Him and not the temporary, REVIVAL WILL COME TO THIS CITY as more and more people will see the Light of Jesus Christ shine in our lives.
- klm