Flee and Pursue

One of the greatest moments of my day is when I come home from the church and I open the kitchen door and greet my family.  There is something about the sound of that door and the time of day that triggers something in my three smallest kids.  Alex, my oldest,  is 14 so he could care less at this point, but my three smallest kids Olivia, Joshua and Lucas flee whatever they are doing, drop everything they are holding and are in full pursuit of their daddy…that’s me.  Alex gives me the reluctant shoulder shrug and I might get a “hey Dad” but in a childlike faith my three smallest children, in their childlike innocence, pursue their father in full steam saying “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy”.

My kids are acting out exactly what Paul told Timothy to do in 1 Timothy 6: 11, when he said, “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ” My kids are FLEEING IN FULL PURSUIT!  Are we, as Christians, fleeing in full pursuit?  Are we fleeing from that which is wrong and pursuing that which is right?  I believe if we are honest, we would admit that we often end up flirting not fleeing from things contrary to God’s word! There is just something in our human sin nature that urges us to do the opposite.  We tend to pursue things we ought to be fleeing and flee from things we ought to be pursuing.  May I suggest that we learn from the reaction of my children when their Daddy comes home…Let us learn to flee the things of this world…let us drop it all and run in full pursuit of our heavenly Father.