VICAR

Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and well settled back into the swing of daily grind after the Christmas and New Year holidays. As I write this looking out over our garden I see a hive of activity and cannot help but feel we are in for a momentous year.

This week I would like to draw Your attention to fighting the good fight.

After finishing off the list of attributes to pursue, Paul writes a new instruction to Timothy: “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12, NIV). In a way, this seems to be a combination of his previous pieces of advice. Fighting the good fight of faith involves running from sin and pursing things such as righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Fighting the good fight of faith is about making a choice – a choice to pursue God’s will and a life of faith on a daily basis. It is about deciding to fight the temptations and factors that pull away from God and instead lean into Him.

Paul references the good fight again in 2 Timothy 4:7 where he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Fighting the good fight of the faith is also about perseverance and continuing, even when the road is hard.

In John 5:24, Jesus says, “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” Through belief in Jesus and God’s plan of redemption, we are able to have eternal life. Paul encourages us to embrace and hold on to it. As in his previous analogy to fighting a good fight, here eternal life seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, a prize in the fight, an encouragement to keep the faith and not grow weary.

As You settle into this new and blockbuster year, try to be on the right side of the good fight. Not being so will eventually destroy You.

God Bless You all.

Protect me from trouble wherever I go, and keep evil far from me. No matter where I am, I will look to You as my Protector, the one who fights for me every day. Your love and faithfulness, along with Your goodness and mercy, surround me daily, so I will not fear whatever might come against me. Amen