The Heart Behind the Timothy Trail Journal

This blog was named after one of my favorite Bible verses, 2 Timothy 2:22. This verse has been both convicting and encouraging to me as it offers hope and joy but also provides direction for seeking growth and improvement. That being said, I wanted to share my thoughts on the meaning and purpose of this verse :)

“So flee youthful passions…” 

What are some youthful passions? Really anything that is a sinful desire could be characterised as a youthful passion, whether it’s lust, laziness, anger, disrespect, or even hurry. Youthful passions are referring to the immaturity and foolishness of youth which could also point to spiritual immaturity. Job 12:12 says that “wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days,” which reinforced the idea of younger people tending to be more foolish. How do we “flee” these passions? To flee something we must flee towards something else. But what to flee towards? Look at the next part of this verse. 

“...And pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace…”

We are called to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace in place of whatever youthful passions that we may be tempted to seek. Before I give my thoughts here are the definitions of those things according to the Websters 1828 dictionary. 

Righteousness- Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. 

Faith- Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth.

Love- In a general sense to be pleased with; to regard with affection, on account of some qualities which excite pleasing sensations or desire of gratification. The christian loves God with the love of complacency in his attributes, the love of benevolence towards the interest of his kingdom, and the love of gratitude for favors received.

Peace- Freedom from agitation or disturbance by the passions, as from fear, terror, anger, anxiety or the like; quietness of mind; tranquillity; calmness; quiet of conscience. Heavenly rest; the happiness of heaven.

Some practical ways that I choose to pursue these things are, spending time reading the Bible each day to grow in righteousness and faith, spending time in prayer as much as possible to grow in faith, love and peace, and also spending time in fellowship with other believers to grow in love and righteousness. There are countless ways to pursue growth in these different areas. The focus should always be to glorify the Lord and strengthen one’s relationship with Him. 

“...Along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

The end of this verse speaks greatly to the importance of fellowship with believers. Many times in Scripture we are told of the importance of choosing our friends wisely. Friendship within the church means that we celebrate with and encourage one another but we also bear each other's burdens. Walking alongside others who are fleeing youthful passions and instead pursuing godliness helps to hold us accountable and also can be a wonderful example and encouragement. Likewise if we choose to spend lots of time with immature and foolish people who are not seeking the Lord, they will also have an influence on us, but it will not be a helpful or lifegiving relationship. As Proverbs 12:26 says, “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

In summary, we are called to flee “youthful passions” which are temptations or desires that do not draw us closer to the Lord. The way to flee these temptations is to flee towards something else, namely godliness. Broken into smaller pieces this is the pursuit of righteousness, faith, love and peace. It is challenging to continually pursue these things completely on our own so we are encouraged to pursue these things with the encouragement and accountability of other believers who are also seeking godliness. 

I want to leave you with a challenge. What is one way that you can pursue righteousness, faith, love, or peace this week in a way that you have not before? Maybe it’s spending time each day reading your Bible, or praying before you go to bed, or getting together with a friend to do a Bible study. Just try to choose one small thing to grow in this week. You won’t regret pouring into your relationship with the Lord :)