Eternal Life as Motive

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1Ti 6:12 AV) 

In First Timothy chapter six, Paul uses that phrase “lay hold on eternal life” twice.  This is in the context of encouraging a young man to fight the good fight of faith.  This phrase is not speaking to an older saint.  Paul doesn’t give this unction to someone who is tired and is trying to run out the clock.  Rather, laying hold of eternal life is something every servant of Christ should do.  The Holy Spirit encouraged me to think of the same.  That is, allowing your mind and heart to rest on eternal life as the means for motivation in the temporal life seems to be a stable theme of Paul’s.  He tells the people of Colossae to set their affections on things above.  This is sound advice.  Having a view toward eternity does not need to be an escape from the present.  This is often how it is perceived.  Those who find fault assume those who always think of heaven are idle.  This can be true.  Such was the case for Thessalonica.  They sat atop their houses, waiting for the rapture.  They did little to affect their community.  But ignoring eternal life as though we are compartmentalizing the temporal from the eternal can also be misguided.

Getting into full-time ministry was a journey.  It took me a while.  I squeezed a three-year degree into thirteen years.  Along the way, I changed jobs three times.  I got married and had three sons.  The LORD gave me opportunity to serve as both a paid and unpaid assistant pastor.  The dream of one day preaching for a living never completely died.  I remember struggling with the delay.  It was no fun.  It seemed as though the LORD had me on an extended program, but I could not figure out why.  I was too young to see it.  The LORD was preparing me for my eventual service.  He was giving me an education one cannot get in a classroom.  Then the day came.  My wife and I were running a VBS.  A visiting pastor saw us and immediately offered a full-time position to do the same for him.  School was finished, but I had, as yet, been ordained.  The process of ordination is not a quick one.  It involves much study and preparation.  Prior to ordination, one might study to pass tests or teach a class which supports the doctrine of the church.  However, when ordination comes around, the candidate must defend his doctrinal positions as well as important philosophy of ministry issues.  Having done so, I awaited my departure for my first full-time position.

At the time, I worked in a factory manufacturing tableware and plates for a well-known brand.  In that time, I had promoted quite a bit.  I was also asked to be involved in a new plant startup.  This was a new technology and new raw materials that had never been used by this company before.  To say the least, I learned a lot.  The training manager asked me to write the manuals by which the department would run.  That was a lot of fun.  Thinking through each step and putting them in order was my task.  I had in my mind that oft used object lesson our English teachers used to stress the importance of grammar and good language.  Remember?  The teacher would ask us to verbally explain how to make a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich.  She or he would follow our instructions to the tee.  It didn’t go well.  So, the challenge of writing these manuals was a challenge I welcomed.  But then came the day when I gave my two-week notice.  I was moving twelve hours away.  One would think the closer that day came, my work ethic would tail off.  Not so.  In fact, the closer I got to that day, the more I realized I would miss this part of my life and actually worked harder.

Paul is telling Timothy to lay hold of eternal life.  Not as an escape from the troubles and trials of temporal life.  Rather, knowing the end from the beginning, this advice was meant to motivate Timothy to more, and not less, effort.  Eternal life is the fuel that energizes the spirit.  Knowing life will not always be like this gives us patience.  Knowing the eternal state of or souls and the company of eternal saints gives us a picture far better than our world.  We can become bitter and frustrated, slacking off until our graduation comes.  Or, we can lay hold of eternal life with joy and anticipation, seeing our eternal destiny as an inevitability, thus growing love and patience toward those who need the LORD.  Eternal life is not the problem.  How we respond to it and how we use it is the issue.  If this charge was good enough for Timothy, it should be good enough for us.