“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV)
No human can look into the heart of any other human.
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that we can’t even read our own hearts.
To accept this truth, putting it into practice in our lives, means that we must guard against trying to discern motives or heart desires in those around us. If we live our lives trying to read motives into the actions of people we love, or the people we work with or the people we worship with we can be in trouble very quickly, simply because of our inability to peer into a person’s heart and discern
their motivation.
their motivation.
However, Paul is communicating to Timothy in this chapter that it is possible to know whether or not we have a pure heart. He says in this verse that a person with a pure heart towards God pursues righteousness, faith, love and peace.
Are these behaviours true of us?
Do we pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace?
Or can we take them or leave them?
Am I ok being righteous on Sunday and not the rest of the week?
Am I ok with loving only some people?
How about being at peace with only some people?
Maybe I am ok with having just a little bit of faith?
A person who can say to God – just give me enough faith to get by on, please don’t give me the kind of faith that changes my world, is a person who does not have a pure heart.
O Lord Jesus forgive us for our lukewarmness - create in us a pure heart that pursues righteousness, faith, love and peace.
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