READ 2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
Paul begins by telling us to flee youthful passions and desires.  The heart and mind of a young person most often aren’t filled with godly desires.  They are typically filled with vanity and frivolity.

 Now notice the list of things we should follow after:

• Follow righteousness: Follow the righteousness of Christ and right living. Living in this manner is acceptable to God.

• Follow faith: Have faith, as in the sphere of what you believe, and live life by having confidence in God. The Christian life is to be lived by faith, trusting both in God and His Word.

• Follow charity: This is love, toward God and Christ and toward His people, without which our spiritual gifts and deeds are practiced with little or no avail. (See 1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Charity is love in action! Are you demonstrating genuine love to Christ and to others?

• Follow peace: We are to pursue peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Those who are born again should be able to live in peace with others who are born again and living with a pure heart. The word "pure" speaks of that which is clean. It is easy to perceive when a person has a clean heart. It is also rather easy to perceive when a person’s heart is dirty.

We have some things today to follow, and certainly we need to set aside youthful lusts.  Will you follow after the right things with the right people?  I trust you will.

Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATIONS

1.  List some of the more prominent youthful lusts that every believer should avoid.

2.  Is there anything in your life that you should remove from your life? How can you have victory over this sin?

3.  Describe what the believer is encouraged to follow after in verse 22.

4.  Which of the four things we are to follow after do you need to improve most? Explain.