Pursuit of joy is pursuit of values increasing the quality of life for all. One flees what lessens freedom for all to express the dignity of godliness. This godliness is not its oft pathetic and shallow, showy and self-absorbed, moralistic and doctrinaire, exclusive and sectist, caricature. The latter lacks rootage in Wonderful Presence.

Paul speaks of pursuit of the beautiful, life-giving qualities of righteousness, godliness, trust, love, patience, and gentleness: other such lists are found in the Scripture. This list is set in contrast to gluttony for wealth. Such greed is counter to the removal of the desperation and fearfulness, and hubris, that is counter to spiritual life, with all the qualities of Life: like love, joy, peace, ...

The passage contrasts "flee"~which in the Greek can imply "run for safety"~with "follow after"~in the Greek this can be rendered "flee" and can refer to an earnest pursuit and specifically to a runner running toward the goal. The following after, then, is "to pursue." Pursue communicates intentionality and determination. The pursuit of what leads to Life is inspired by a desire, clarity, and awareness able to lead one to engage the self-renunciation and patience essential to nurturing seeds of the spirit within.

All spiritual teachers agree on this focused desire essential to the spiritual Path and pursuit of the inner climate of it. This sets apart spiritual Christians, who engage inner transformation, and he or she of nominal form who identifies with the faith but not the self-transformation. Likewise, the spiritual Christian, while engaging inner Work necessary for spiritual likeness to Christ within, finds being naturally lived out true love for his or her fellow creatures. By contrast, many identified with the Christian faith have translated the faith as a path of doing good; this apart from inward transformation is neither much Christian nor following of Christ.

To follow Christ means to be becoming like Christ. No amount of doing good, even apparently in the name of Christ, is sufficient for such a summons to the true godliness Paul sets before Timothy and, thereby, us. Rather, for even the work we claim to be doing for Christ to be Christian, it must flow from and back into the inward translation of the human self, which to some extent centers all around a hub of hubris, and into the person of Christ.

Again, this is by Grace, but a Grace that is working Grace~or it is not Grace. "Lay hold on (or, take possession of) eternal life," notes Paul. The eternal life is not a mere duration of life; rather, this is a quality of Life, a divine quality. This is not merely given to enjoy lazily. Grace gives Life; to continue to receive Life, we choose to appropriate it, even as to keep enjoying the sustenance of oxygen we breathe.

Spiritual Exercise

Meditate prayerfully on the Scripture for Today. Pray about its message to you.

Brian will respond to requests pertaining to seeking a Spiritual Mentor. He offers retreats, workshops, and classes in such subjects as Contemplative Prayer (he trains in Visualized Praying, Centering Prayer, Christian Meditation, The Jesus Prayer, ...); Contemplative Living; A Spiritual Understanding of the Lord's Prayer; Philippians and Spiritual Community; Spiritual Growth From Matter to Spirit; Spiritual Use of the Scripture.

See any major on-line bookseller for his book An Ache for Union.

For replies and biographical information, and submission to "The Light Shines" daily devotionals ~ a ministry of Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL, see next page:

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