Lay Hold on Eternal Life!

Lay Hold on Eternal Life!

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Tim. 6:12.

Had not Timothy, that man of God, laid hold on eternal life? Did he need such an exhortation? Yes, Paul thought it was necessary. There is no doubt that Timothy knew God and Jesus Christ. John 17:3. Yet who has known Him to the degree that it is possible to know Him?

John proclaimed the Word of life, which resulted in fellowship with him, with the Father, and with the Son. 1 John 1:2-3. God’s Word is eternal life. It must be laid hold of and lived. There are many changing situations during the day and in life. God’s Word instructs us and enlightens us as to how we should conduct ourselves in each circumstance; but if we do not find a Word of God for the situation in which we are, then we live on a human level—according to our feelings and human reasoning, according to our nature. This is usually the determining factor. Only afterwards do people remember God’s Word. Then they are judged by it. The opportunity to live God’s Word has passed them by.

Jesus says, “Watch and pray.” By watching we will also see what we need to pray for. Then the Spirit will take of what is His and declare it to us. The Spirit testifies of Jesus (John 15:26), which means that the Spirit will give us a Word for our situation. Then we need to lay hold of the Word and conduct ourselves accordingly. The opportunity we have to put it into practice lasts only a moment before the situation changes again. Then we have an opportunity to lay hold of a new Word. The Spirit reminds us of the Word of life. If we practice it, we will lay hold on eternal life and our human nature will be put to death. The Word that enlightens us and which we practice enables us to know the Father and the Son. This is eternal life.

Time and life pass people by, and they do not partake of eternal life. You must lay hold on eternal life, but a person does not understand how to do it if he is interested in earthly things. You must be wholehearted about what you want to lay hold of; and you have to fight the good fight of faith if what you want to lay hold of is to become your life. All of us need this exhortation given to Timothy. The more God’s Word becomes our life, the greater will be our glory in the resurrection of the dead.