Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ~ 2 Timothy 2:22-24
Imagine, for a moment, that you get home from work and go to the mailbox to pick up the day's mail. In the mailbox are the usual advertisements, invites to an investment seminar, a prearranged funeral service, an invitation to a credit card, and a personally addressed envelope. You throw everything away except for the personal envelope. The name in the upper left-hand corner is a blast from the past. You open the envelope and find it’s from a spiritual mentor from years ago. It is someone who walked with you, encouraged you, and saw the gifts in you before you did. The note card this time is to encourage you once more. As you read the note, it feels like you are hearing from the apostle Paul. He is telling you not to give up. To flee temptations that will get you off track. He is saying to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Do the things necessary to have a pure heart. Don’t get mixed up with foolish arguments. Be kind to everyone. Teach the Word faithfully, accurately, passionately, and never – never allow resentment to slip into your life. Resentment is an emotional cancer; it will rob you of your gratitude and thankfulness. If resentment is left unchecked, it will become the lens through which you see all of life, others, and eventually how you see yourself. It is essential to know that the antidote to resentment is gratitude and thankfulness. We live in a world that leaves little room for either gratitude or thankfulness. You have to look for it in your life intentionally. This world, this culture we live in, is no friend to godly spiritual formation. However, you have God’s Spirit living in you, and he can empower you to live in thankful, grateful ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.