Every Friday I join a community of bloggers for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt, five minutes. Unedited. The prompt this week is … Fight.
The word prompt brought back thoughts shared years ago, which I went back to read. And so, here is an edited version of that post.
“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 6:12, NASB)
That word, ‘fight’, means:
“to fight in a contest; to engage in a dreadful battle or strenuous endeavor. It envisions combatants pitted against one another for victory. It is a heroic struggle.” (taken from the New Testament Lexical Aids)
Perhaps this is the issue. Maybe we are not feeling much like “heroes”.
The fight is with faith. In that verse, there is nothing which indicates the fight takes place only with people or situations.
We are never more heroic than when we are battling for our faith.
Can it be that the struggles with circumstances and people which challenge us are components in a greater battle than first meets our eyes?
Perhaps the greatest battles we ever will face in our lives concern our faith. Perhaps it is when we are tempted to think that God’s Word works for everyone else but us. Or maybe, it is the battle to believe He will keep His promises to us. It may even be the battle to believe He won’t let us down.
The New Testament Lexical Aids go on to explain:
“To ‘take hold of the eternal life which you were called’ would then be analogous to fulfilling one’s commission.’ “
This fight of faith and taking hold is all a part of each one of us fulfilling our purposes here. The fight is bigger than we even imagined. John Piper puts it this way, “It is a lifelong battle again unbelief.”
We must fight the good fight of faith.
Amen!
The following verse came to mind Joanne as I was reading;
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.” Eph 6:12 AMP
I hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving with your family.
Blessings, Jennifer
Great encouraging word.
Good insights. The hardest fight is often with our own thoughts and doubts, and it’s a spiritual battle. I like the thought that “taking hold of eternal life” is a fulfilment of our commission. Visiting from FMF#11
I used to fight the good fight
with a smile, a laugh, a shout,
but lately things are not all right
and I’ve begun to doubt
if this is worth it in the end;
am I past my useful time?
Has this all become pretend
in service of another rhyme?
But still the days are going on,
and things yet left to do,
but the cheery zest is gone,
and purpose is all through,
but I will do the best I can
even without hope or plan.