DE

A Circle, A Square, and a Straight Line

Date: 03/21/2020

AO: Aegis, Georgetown, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 30 IC

Bolt 45’s – IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Windmills – 15 IC

Mountain Climbers – 20 IC

Jiminy Crickets – 10 OYO

The Thang

At the Aegis, Pax completed the Route 66 routine around the circle.  1 lap around the Aegis and complete 1 burpee.  A second lap around the circle and complete 2 burpees.  Rinse and repeat until reaching 7 burpees.

Pax moseyed to the Georgetown Firehouse to complete a Mike Tyson set of 7’s in the back parking lot utilizing a bear crawl to traverse the distance between the station wall and a set of parking bumpers.  Pax completed 1 Mike Tyson at the wall and bear crawled across to the parking bumpers to complete 6 Mike Tyson’s, then bear crawled back to the wall for 2 Mike Tyson’s and back to parking bumpers for 5 Mike Tyson’s.  Rinse and repeat until the number of evolutions was reversed from where it began.

Pax moseyed to the school.    

Spartan Run Routine – Run/sprint approx. 50 yards from one parking lot light pole to the next and drop and do 10 merkins.  Plank until all Pax are complete.  Run/sprint 50 yards back to the starting light pole and complete 10 merkins.   Plank for the 6.  Pax completed 10 reps for 100 merkins for the exercise.

Pax moseyed back to Aegis and finished strong with a Toy Soldier set consisting of 50 LBC’s, 30 E2K’s each side, and 20 Big Boy ‘s.

F3 Message 03/21/20

THE PARALYSIS OF ANALYSIS – #8505

August 16, 2019

It’s got to be one of my favorite plays – “Fiddler on the Roof.” The story is virtually a modern classic. It tells with this incredible charm and warmth the story of 19th Century Jews in Russia. All the joys of Jewish faith and Jewish family are there, along with the pain of persecution for being Jewish. Tevye, the milkman, is the colorful father of the family; a man who is forever arguing with himself. If you’re familiar with the play, you’ll remember how his conversations with himself – and even with God – will go back and forth as he talks himself in and out of opposite viewpoints. Tevye will present one view, and then inadvertently he will say, “On the other hand…” and he’ll talk himself out of it. He doesn’t actually reach many conclusions!

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Paralysis of Analysis.”

There are a lot of folks who have a little bit of Tevye in them – always analyzing, often not reaching any conclusion. I’m a data-based decision maker. I like to weigh all the information I can before I make a decision or a commitment. And that’s a good thing until it paralyzes you; until it keeps you from exercising the one thing the Bible says you have to have to please God – faith.

In John 6, beginning with verse 7, we see an example of the disciples going as far as analyzing could take them and nearly missing a great miracle. Jesus and His disciples are facing this hungry multitude of at least 5,000 people. Sizing up the situation analytically, in our word for today from the Word of God, Philip gets his calculator out and tells Jesus, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” So much for the earth-math. Jesus is about to do something that earth-math could never anticipate.

Andrew’s calculation is simpler but it leads to the same human-sense conclusion. He said, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” But using miracle-math instead of earth-math, Jesus instructs His men to “Have the people sit down.” You probably know the rest. Thousands were fed from that one small lunch, and the disciples “filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over.” Don’t you just love it – one basket of leftovers for each disciple. So much for earth-math.

When Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth, all the people there could do was analyze Jesus’ history, and the Bible says it was the one place Jesus could do no miracle because of their unbelief. Endless analysis (intellectual, theological) ultimately takes you in this futile circle and it often costs you the miracles that come only to those who risk everything on a great Savior.

“We walk by faith, not by sight,” Paul says (2 Corinthians 5:7). Now some people need to think a little more and they need to use their God-given mind to seek out the truth. But there’s only so far thinking and analyzing can take you. Those who try to figure out the science of stepping out of a boat when Jesus says to, will never know what it is to walk on water.

Right now, God may be asking you to take a step that doesn’t quite add up. All your analyzing can’t show you how you’re going to get from here to there. The bridge over that gap? Yeah, it has a name. It’s called faith.

Don’t miss some wonderful things God wants to do because you’re suffering from the paralysis of analysis. You belong to a Lord who loves to do, as the Bible says, “immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine!” (Ephesians 3:20).

Chappie Rocking the Socks in Support of World Down Syndrome Day
Quattro is COVID-19 Ready and Sporting Socks for World Down Syndrome Day Awareness.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Semi Colon “3.14”

QIC. Semi

Warm-a-Rama
17 Seal jacks. I/c
14 Cherry picker. I/c
Capri lap, side shuffle around circle, switch halfway
17 SSH. I/c
14 Windmill. I/c
Capri lap, nur halfway, mosey rest
17 seal waves. I/c
14 MMP. I/c

Mosey to old napa store

14 burpees mosey around building, 14 merkins mosey around building, 14 squats mosey around building for 3 rounds.

Mosey to school

44 lbcs
22 e2ks
14 big boys
Go up steps and Jump wall to sidewalk
3 rounds

3rd F

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:6‭-‬10 ESV
A good affirmation that you are not alone in your struggles. There is season for everything. God will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Mosey to Ruxpin’s distillery

14 leg lifts hanging from railing

Mosey back to AO

 7 HIM showed today. Semi, Fireplex, Waterfall, Chappie, Quarto, Doubtfire, Leatherman

Number Rama

Name Rama

COT

21 and the Tomb of the Unknown


QIC : Semi

Warm-a-Rama

21, All i/c
Seal jack
Seal wave
Cherry picker
Capri lap around parking lot, side shuffle up, nur across, and side shuffle down
Ssh
Plank jack
Windmill

The Thang

Mosey to bridge by park
21 lt. Dan across bridge, if not all the way across mosey to end
21 burpees
Nur across bridge
21 dan lt. across bridge, if not all the way across mosey to end
21 big boys

3rd F
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=905045086538659&id=359432224433284

21 meekins
21 e2k leftside
21 diamond merkins
21 e2k rightside

Mosey back to ao

1 round of banana, superman, ripcord

7 HIM showed; Semi, Chappie, Ruxpin, Gump, Woodstock, papa bear, and visitante

Number Rama

Name Rama

COT

2/19/2020

QIC : semi

Warm up

25 Seal jacks. I/c
20 Cherry picker. I/c
Capri lap – side shuffle length of court, nur width of court, side shuffle length of court, and nur width of court
25 Seal wave. I/c
20 Windmill I/c
Capri lap – side shuffle length of court, nur width of court, side shuffle length of court, and nur width of court
25 Ssh. I/c
20 mountain climbers i/c


THE THANG

Mosey to far side of ball field.
1 HIM does 10 Abyss merkins between picnic tables while rest of pax does derkins rotating through pax till all have completed abyss merkins.

Mosey to backside of lifesaving station
15 hanging knee raises from leanto header
Crawl dragon up ramp, dragon crawl down ramp
15 hanging knee raises
Dan lt. Up and lt. Dan down ramp
15 hanging knee raises
25 6″ squats
25 sumo squats
25 squats
on the ramp facing the water

3rd F
Go After God’s Heart
https://bible.com/reading-plans/2272/day/1?segment=0


Mosey to playground beside basketball court
25 calf raises off ledge
20 urkins
15 split squats per leg
10 burpees
5 super bananas
10 burpees
15 split squats per leg
20 urkins
25 calf raises off ledge

Mosey back to center court

6 HIM showed – semi, Chappie, Chairman, Wildwing, Ruxpin, kings point

Number Rama

Name Rama

COT

Super 21 Cycle

Date: 02/15/2020

AO: Aegis, Georgetown, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 30 IC

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Windmills – 15 IC

Dips – 30 IC

Mosey to Ball Park @.5 miles.

The Thang

The Super 21 Cycle.  1 Merkin to 1 Big Boy Sit up.  2 Merkins to 2 Big Boy Situps.  3 Merkins to 3 Big Boy Situps, etc., etc., etc.  But wait there is a twist….after each completed set of #1 though #5, PAX will complete 21 Imperial Walkers.  Bear Crawl to 1st base.  After each completed set of #6 through #10, PAX will complete 21 Mountain Climbers.  Bear Crawl to 2nd base.  After each completed set of # 11 through #15, PAX will complete 21 Monkey Humpers.  Bear crawl to 3rd base.  After each completed set of #16 through #20, PAX will complete 21 Prisoner Squats.  Bear Crawl to Homeplate and PAX will complete the final set of #21 Merkins to #21 Big Boys, then finish strong with 21 Burpees. Q took a break for the 3rd F after all PAX completed the 2nd base exercise set. See below for the word provided from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries.

Mosey back to Aegis @ .5 miles.

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

F3 Message 02/15/2020 – From Ron Hutchcraft Ministries #7641 – 04/25/16

HOW TO BUILD A LOVE THAT LASTS A LIFETIME – #7641

Monday, April 25, 2016

Valentine’s Day! That’s the season when all of us think about the love we found, or the love we lost, or the love we’re looking for. And, man, people are looking! Did you know there are over 5,000 dating websites, including Match.com, OKCupid, along with SeniorPeopleMeet, Farmers Only and DateACowboy.com?

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “How to Build a Love that Lasts a Lifetime.”

Love is where we place our greatest hopes. It’s where we experience our greatest fears and our greatest hurts, and make our greatest mistakes. It’s a treasure, for sure, but it’s a fragile treasure. Like a fragile plant, love has to be watered and protected with some basic love-nurturing steps.

Let me give you some. First of all, handing out goodies – emotional goodies that is. Love thrives on affirmation, encouragement, compliments, praise, “atta-boys.” But love is torn down by critical words, angry words, sarcastic words; on our lips momentarily, in their memory forever. The Bible so wisely says, “The tongue has the power of life and death” and “reckless words pierce like a sword” (Proverbs 18:21; 12:18).

That’s why the Bible’s challenge to “encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13) is glue for a love that lasts. Because everybody needs a cheerleader, and all of us need to be one.

Secondly, unpack your suitcase; the suitcase where we carry the junk from our past into the present. The abuse. The betrayal. The neglect. The injustice. And the anger and negativity and bitterness that go with it. Unless we face it, we can’t fix it. And if we don’t fix it, we’ll spread it. The poison will spill into lives that don’t even deserve it. And they will poison love.

That’s why God tells us in Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” If we harbor resentment and unforgiveness, it’s just going to keep growing into a monster that invades every close relationship.

Unpacking this suitcase we’ve carried so long has a name. It’s called forgiving, which sometimes seems like humanly impossible. But it’s not supernaturally impossible, because the One who forgave His crucifiers will download His forgiveness into any struggling heart and He’ll pour His healing into every broken heart.

Thirdly, relinquish the wheel, because controlling people hardens their heart and pushes them away. Control freaks are fixers. We’re always trying to fix and change what we love. But when you hold onto something too tightly, you crush it – including love.

I’ve found a lot of freedom in five words John the Baptist spoke long ago, “I am not the Messiah.” When you realize that it’s your job to love people and it’s God’s job to change them, you can experience the wonderful freedom of releasing what you’ve been controlling.

I guess most importantly, to build a love that lasts a lifetime, anchor your heart. See, there’s a problem with love. It’s “loseable.” Betrayal. Divorce. Death. No human love can truly anchor a human heart, a lonely heart. So how can that aching hole in our hearts ever be filled? How can we finally know that we’re safe in a love we can’t lose?

Our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 8:39, “Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s God’s ironclad guarantee to every person who belongs to His Son, who proved His love in blood poured out on a cross for the very sins you’ve done against Him.

This is love that comes looking for us all the way from heaven to the cross. And He’s come looking for you today through our time together. So, let today be the day to let His love in. Let Jesus in and say, “Jesus, the life you died for, that you paid for with your life is yours beginning today. I am yours.”

Our website is to help you get there – ANewStory.com. Would you go there? The love of a lifetime is within your reach right now.

1 Corinthians 13 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Greatest Gift

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a]but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Superman’s Bombjacks

F3 CHOP 2/6/2020

QIC: Quattro

WARM-O-RAMA

  • 20 SSH IC
  • 20 Cherry Pickers IC
  • 20 Windmill IC
  • BOLT 45 because we all love FIREPLEX
  • 15 count playboys each side (to keep the sniper away)
  • 7 Pretzel Merkins each side IC

THANG

  • Mosey down Union St to Magnolia St, 6-inches for the 6
  • Jailbreak to Mulberry St
  • Carry-Ockie to fishing pier parking lot switching legs halfway across bridge
  • 50 4-count American Hammers IC on wooden ledge
  • 50 foot-elevated Big Boys OYO on ledge
  • Move to grass, 6-inches for 6
  • Superman-Bananas IC 5-count front, flip 5-count back, flip, Rinse and Repeat BEWARE sniper! Start off on your belly, in this case embracing the suck, arms out in front slightly raised, legs straight behind 6-inches off the ground (looking like superman flying). After Q counts to 5, PAX yell BANANAS! Then immediately flip onto 6 in a banana-like curve (arms out and slightly up, legs out feet 6-inches) Q counts to 5, PAX yell SUPERMAN! Immediately turn over. Rinse and Repeat as needed.
  • Wosey to base of Governor’s Walk
  • Indian Crab Walk up Governor’s Walk [mumble chatter was epic at this point!]
Indian Crab Walk UP Governor’s Walk
  • Wosey back towards CHOP while 3rd F was shared: an exerpt from “The Masculine Mandate” ‘God’s Calling To Men’ By: Richard D Phillips
  • Mosey once 3rd F was complete
Chapter 3, Page 18,19

10 BombJacks as a moral booster and simple accountability

Count-O-Rama

Name-O-Rama

COT

Then we were out… like fat dudes in dodgeball

~Quattro

MLK Library Laps

Warm-up: (20) SSH IC, (20) Cherry Pickers IC, (20) Wind Mill IC, (20) Plank Jacks IC, (20) Shoulder Taps IC, (20) 4 Count Superman IC.

Take a lap around the library hitting every flight of steps. Meet at the Amphitheater seating area for a 6 pack of exercises.

10 WMD (10 wide merkin, 10 merkin, 10 diamond merkin)

20 Dips

20 Box Jumps

20 Lunges (rear leg elevated)

20 Reverse Crunches (bum on the bench; legs hanging over)

20 American Hammers (bum on the bench; legs hanging over)

Take a lap hitting every step. Wash, Rinse, Repeat x3.

Third F:

Before he was assassinated at age 39, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, organized the 1963 March on Washington, advocated for civil disobedience and non-violent protest, and became one of the most influential figures in American history.

Fifty years after his death, here’s a look back at some of the civil rights leader’s most memorable speeches.

“I Have a Dream” – Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963

In his most famous speech, King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and called for an end to racism in the United States before a crowd of more than 250,000 people.

“Our God is Marching On” – Selma, Alabama, March 25, 1965

Delivered after the historic marches from Selma to Montgomery, historians consider King’s triumphant deliverance of his “Our God is Marching On” speech to mark the end of the civil rights movement’s first phase focusing on legal and political rights. The movement would later focus on fighting for economic equality.

 “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence” – Riverside Church in New York City, April 4, 1967

Exactly one year before his assassination, King condemned the Vietnam War at a time when a majority of Americans still supported the effort. King was criticized for the speech, considered one of his most controversial, and lost supporters for being too political.

 “The Other America” – Stanford University, April 14, 1967

Just 10 days after declaring his opposition to the Vietnam War, King spoke to a crowd at Stanford University and advocated for economic and social equality. In his “Other America” speech, King described “two Americas” to highlight the growing poverty gap in the United States as a root of inequality. King gave a similar version of this speech at Michigan’s Grosse Pointe High School on March 14, 1968.

“I’ve been to the Mountaintop” – Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968

In his final speech, King addressed a church filled with striking sanitation workers who were protesting their low pay and working conditions. King emphasized the importance of unity and nonviolent protest in the fight for justice, no matter how painful the struggle.

“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop… And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”

Number-Rama, Name-O-Rama, COT

Coupons and wheelbarrows

QIC: Semi

WARM-A-RAMA

20 all i/c

Ssh
Seal wave
Cherry picker
Capri lap around upper parking lot
Side shuffle out, nur across, side shuffle in, and mosey across
Windmill
Plank Jack
Seal Jack
2nd capri lap around upper parking lot
Side shuffle out, nur across, side shuffle in, and mosey across

THE THANG

Each HIM grabs a coupon and pairs up with another HIM lined up between the light poles.

Each pair will wheelbarrow to other center parking line
half of pax does 10 burpees while the other half does 15 Swerkins, plank for 6
Wheelbarrow back to light pole line
Other half of pax does 10 burpees while the other half does 15 swerkins, plank for 6

3rd F

Coupon barrow to other parking line
15 Abyss merkins
Coupon barrow back to light pole line
15 Wide Merkins
Coupon barrow halfway to other parking line and switch with partner and continue to parking line
25 Coupon squats
Return Coupons to stack and return to parking line.
Dragon crawl to light pole line
40 lbcs

Number Rama
Name Rama
Cot

16 HIM showed today, Semi, Chappie, quarto, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, Chairman, Wildwing, leatherman, Ruxpin, strudel, doubtfire, trion, phyfe, forky, fng showfer, fng baby shark

Difference Makers
https://bible.com/reading-plans/14159/day/5?segment=0

Crab Shoulders

Date: 01/18/20

AO: Aegis, Georgetown, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Plank Jacks – 20 IC

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Mountain Climbers – 20 IC

Windmills – 15 IC

Dips – 20 IC

The Thang

Mosey to County Building Steps.  Each PAX crosses the steps without skipping any steps.

Mosey to Armory steps and completes Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 split Jacks (10 each Leg).  The twist is that each PAX will take each step up and each step down with both feet hitting each step before performing each individual exercise of Aiken legs.

Mosey to Library and complete the Burp & Merk – Burpee with ascending merkins up to 10.  Each PAX will Bear Crawl to each parking space and complete a Burpee with a hand release merkin.  Bear Crawl to the next space and complete a Burpee with two hand release merkins.   Continue until completing a Burpee with ten hand release merkins. 

Mosey to School and complete the bottom feeder/deconstructed toy soldier set exercise.  Crab walk to first sidewalk and complete 60 LBC’s.  Crab walk to second sidewalk and complete 40 E2K’s to one side.  Crab walk to third sidewalk and complete 40 E2K’s to the other side.  Crab walk to fourth sidewalk and complete 20 big boy sit-ups.  Karaoke back to the starting point switching directions at the halfway point.

F3 Message – See below

Mosey back to Aegis.  PAX completed @.9 mile for the workout

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayer. 

F3 Message 01/18/20

Source:  Bible.org

Excerpts From Lesson 23: Going The Distance ( 1 Timothy 6:11,12)

Question: What do diets, exercise programs, marriage, and the Christian life have in common? Answer: It’s fairly easy and even fun to begin, but it’s not so easy to hang in over the long haul. Eugene Peterson, in his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (IVP, pp. 1112), writes,

One aspect of world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is the assumption that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly and efficiently. Our attention spans have been conditioned by thirty-second commercials. Our sense of reality has been flattened by thirty-page abridgments.

It is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to be born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.

The Christian life is not a hundred-yard dash; it’s a marathon, a “long obedience in the same direction.” Starting well is easy; finishing well is another matter. We all will encounter numerous hindrances. But, like Bunyan’s Christian, those whose burden has been lifted at Calvary will persevere.

In the final section of this letter, Paul tells Timothy and us how to go the distance. Timothy found himself in a difficult situation that was seemingly not suited for his timid personality. He had to confront the false teachers who had arisen among the Ephesian leaders by refuting their errors and by teaching the truth. No doubt he was catching flak from many in the church who had been led astray by these men and their errors. So Paul, like a coach at half time in a rough game, reminds Timothy of the game plan and challenges him to hang in there, even though it’s not easy. He gives four commands in verses 11 & 12 that are pillars for perseverance: Flee; pursue; fight; and, take hold:

To persevere, a man of God will flee worldliness, pursue godliness, fight for the faith, and take hold of eternal life.

The Greek text of verse 11 begins with the emphatic contrast, “But you, O man of God, flee these things.” In contrast to the false teachers and those who follow them in their love of money, you must run in the opposite direction. The title, “man of God” is used in the Old Testament of men like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, David, and a few prophets. It means a man who belongs wholly to God, who follows God’s Word in every aspect of life. A man of God has a certain dignity and aura about him so that when you’re with him, you sense the presence of God, because his life is so entwined with God. There’s no greater title that any Christian can covet for himself or herself than to be called a man or woman of God.

But it doesn’t happen automatically! “Some (v. 10) … but you (v. 11)”! To be a man or woman of God, you must resolve to stand against the tide. You must flee worldliness, pursue godliness, fight for the faith, and take hold of eternal life.

1. To persevere, a man of God will flee worldliness.

(When I say “man of God,” forgive me for not being politically correct, but I’m including women.) Right off we’re struck by the irony of what Paul commands Timothy: “But you, O man of God, flee!” You would expect, “But you, O man of God, stand firm,” or “fight.” Real men don’t flee, do they? Can you imagine a football coach saying, “Listen, team, the men on the other team are big and tough. When they come at you, I want you to turn tail and flee!” You don’t win by fleeing, do you?

But Paul knew that there are times when the way to victory is to flee, not to fight. We’re commanded to flee immorality (1 Cor. 6:18), idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14), youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22) and, here, to flee the love of money and false doctrine; but, James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. So we need to know when to fight and when to flee.

All the commands to flee can be summed up by saying, “Flee worldliness,” what John calls “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16). The lust of the flesh refers to the strong desires to gratify ourselves by living by feelings rather than by obedience to God. The lust of the eyes refers to the desire to increase pleasure by acquiring things and outward status rather than by developing godly character. The boastful pride of life refers to self-centered living that focuses on this life in disregard of God and eternity.

Satan used these three avenues to tempt Eve. Scripture says that she “saw that the tree was good for food” (Gen. 3:6)–it would satisfy the desires of her taste (appealing to “the lust of the flesh”). Also, “it was a delight to her eyes”–it looked good outwardly (an appeal to “the lust of the eyes”). And, “the tree was desirable to make one wise”–she wouldn’t need to rely on God’s wisdom any more if she had her own (it appealed to “the boastful pride of life”).

Each of these temptations is a differently veiled form of exalting self: the lust of the flesh, to gratify self; the lust of the eyes, to enhance self, both in one’s own eyes and in the eyes of others; and, the boastful pride of life, to increase reliance on self and decrease the need to depend totally on God. The false teachers, whose doctrine and way of life Timothy was to flee, were into self. They were puffed up with pride (6:4); they didn’t submit to Scripture, but rather used it to promote their own selfish views, but without holding to its truth (6:4-5); they were into religion for personal gain, not for godliness (6:5).

I am ashamed to say that earlier in my ministry, I promoted some of false teaching on self-esteem that has flooded the church. God graciously opened my eyes to it, in part, through my reading of John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. The entire work is edifying, but he has two wonderful chapters that would get us back on track if we would read and follow them: “The Sum of the Christian Life: The Denial of Ourselves”; and, “Bearing the Cross, a Part of Self-Denial” (Book III, Chapters VII & VIII). To quote him briefly,

There is no other remedy than to tear out from our inward parts this most deadly pestilence of love of strife and love of self, even as it is plucked out by Scriptural teaching…. Let us, then unremittingly examining our faults, call ourselves back to humility” (ed. by John T. McNeill, translated by Ford Lewis Battles [Eerdmans] III:VII:4).

Whenever a teaching appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the boastful pride of life, we need to take off as fast as we can in the opposite direction. To persevere in the Christian life, the man of God must flee worldliness, especially the love w1111ofcz money that simply furthers the love of self.

2. To persevere, a man of God will pursue godliness.

We aren’t just to run from worldliness, but also to run to these six character qualities. The word “pursue” is sometimes translated “persecute”; it has the nuance of eagerly going after something. It implies effort, diligence, and determination. In other words, you won’t accidentally attain these qualities by hanging around church buildings long enough. You’ve got to go after them deliberately over the long haul.

A. PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS:

Here the word refers to conformity to the standards of God’s Word. When we trust in Christ as Savior, God declares us righteous in our standing before Him based upon the atoning sacrifice of His Son. It is a judicial action in which God puts our sin on Christ and He credits Christ’s righteousness to our account. This is called “justification”; as Paul argues in Romans 3 & 4, it is by faith, not by works.

But, having been justified (declared righteous) by faith, the Christian must then pursue a life of righteousness. As John states, “Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; … By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:7-8a, 10).

Obviously, Christians sin (1 John 1:8, 10). But the pursuit of the Christian is not toward sin, but toward righteousness. During a Monday night football game, an announcer observed that the Chicago Bears’ running back, Walter Payton, had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. The other announcer remarked, “Yeah, and that’s with somebody knocking him down every 4.6 yards!” A Christian may get knocked down by sin every few yards, but he gets up and keeps moving toward righteousness. It’s his pursuit.

B. PURSUE GODLINESS:

The word is closely related to righteousness. It has the nuance of reverence or awe in God’s presence. A godly person lives with an awareness of God’s holy presence, and so he fears God and flees from sin. As we saw in 4:7-8, we must discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. You won’t roll out of bed some morning and find out that you magically attained it overnight. You won’t get it by going to a spiritual conference or having some emotional experience. You have to diligently discipline yourself to pursue godliness.

C. PURSUE FAITH:

Some commentators understand it to mean “faithfulness,” that dependability which is a fruit of the Spirit and should be present in every believer (Gal. 5:22). But it also can refer to the trust in God that consciously relies on Him in every situation of life. As Hebrews 11, the great chapter on faith, shows, men and women of faith believe the promises of God and live in light of them, even in the face of not receiving what is promised, because they trust that God will fulfill His sure word in heaven if not in this life (Heb. 11:13-16).

Again, you need to pursue faith. You don’t wake up some morning with vigorous faith any more than a guy with bulging muscles went to bed one night as a 98-pound weakling and woke up looking like Mr. America! How do you pursue faith? By trusting God in the frustrations, irritations, and trials that He sends your way. You deliberately humble yourself under God’s sovereign hand and cast all your anxieties on Him through prayer, knowing that in spite of how it may seem, He does care for you (1 Pet. 5:6-7).

Instead of learning to trust God with the little trials, many Christians grumble and chafe under them. They flatter themselves into thinking that if a major trial ever hits, they’ll trust God then. But it’s the small irritations that God uses to build our faith as we submit to Him and seek Him each day. We need to pursue faith in our daily circumstances.

D. PURSUE LOVE:

We often have the mistaken notion that love just flows effortlessly. If we have to work at it, it must not be love. But why would the Bible so often command us to love one another if it didn’t require diligent effort? In our day of self-focused Christianity we’re being told that we must learn to love ourselves before we can love God and others. But the Bible assumes that we all love ourselves quite well. The command to love our neighbor as ourselves is built on that premise. Calvin notes,

And obviously, since men were born in such a state that they are all too much inclined to self-love–and, however much they deviate from truth, they still keep self-love–there was no need of a law that would increase or rather enkindle this already excessive love. Hence it is very clear that we keep the commandments not by loving ourselves but by loving God and neighbor; that he lives the best and holiest life who lives and strives for himself as little as he can, and that no one lives in a worse or more evil manner than he who lives and strives for himself alone, and thinks about and seeks only his own advantage (II:VIII:54).

E. PURSUE PERSEVERANCE:

The word is not “patience” (KJV, putting up with difficult people), but perseverance or steadfastness, which means bearing up under difficult circumstances. We only can pursue perseverance by daily trusting in God as we hope in the promise of His coming and the blessings we will enjoy throughout eternity with Him.

F. PURSUE GENTLENESS:

The word doesn’t mean meekness in the sense of weakness. Timid Timothy wouldn’t need to pursue that quality, since he seemed to have plenty of it! Rather, it means strength under control. The root word was used of Alexander’s horse, a mighty and powerful animal, but completely broken, responsive to its master’s commands. As the very next word shows, a gentle man must fight. But he doesn’t fight for his own way, out of self-will, but for God’s way in submission to God’s will.

To persevere, the man of God must flee worldliness and pursue godliness as expressed in these six qualities: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

3. To persevere, a man of God will fight for the faith.

The Greek reads, “the faith,” meaning the Christian faith as revealed in the truth of God’s Word. As we’ve seen, sound doctrine is essential for sound Christian living. So Satan attacks sound doctrine, often with subtle errors and truth out of balance. So the Christian must, in the words of Jude 3, “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

The history of the Christian church consists of repeated battles where the enemy introduces destructive heresies, those heresies are confronted, and the truth is clarified and proclaimed. That’s what Paul is doing in First Timothy. Many other New Testament letters have the same polemic thrust. The great church councils and creeds, while not carrying Scriptural authority, were attempts to correct false teaching and to set forth sound teaching. The Reformation consisted of godly men like Luther and Calvin combatting the corruption and false doctrine that had permeated the Roman Catholic church and setting forth the great truths of Scripture.

In every age, there are peace-lovers who promote unity, love, and tolerance as the chief Christian virtues. They say that we shouldn’t attack false teachers or expose their errors. If you dare to say you’re right and someone else is wrong, they accuse you of pride. So in the name of humility, we’re supposed to tolerate every kind of error!

But, as J. Gresham Machen, who stood valiantly for the truth earlier in this century, observed, not only was Paul a great fighter, but also all the great men God has used down through the centuries: Tertullian fought Marcion; Athanasius fought the Arians; Augustine fought Pelagius; and Luther and Calvin fought the popes. He concludes rightly, “It is impossible to be a true soldier of Jesus Christ and not fight” (cited in Fundamentalist Journal [3/83], p. 34). To persevere, we must flee worldliness; pursue godliness; and, fight the good fight of the faith. Finally,

4. To persevere, a man of God will take hold of eternal life.

You may be saying, “I thought Timothy already had eternal life. Why does Paul tell him to take hold of it?” To grasp Paul’s thought, we must note three aspects of the Christian experience set forth in this verse:

First, God calls us to salvation or the obtaining of eternal life. Salvation never begins with man, but with God. We all were dead in our transgressions, not only unable to call on God, but hostile and opposed to God, objects of His wrath (Eph. 2:1-3). If you have eternal life today, it is not because you first decided to call upon God, but because God, being rich in mercy, first called you and imparted eternal life to you as His free gift, according to His sovereign purpose (Eph. 2:4-10).

Second, we respond to God’s call and His imparting life to us by faith. Faith is a matter of the heart, but it is expressed outwardly through a public confession in baptism. Paul reminds Timothy of when he “made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses,” a reference to his baptism.

Third, we take hold of the eternal life God has graciously imparted to us. This refers to the process of laying hold of that for which we were laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12). God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3), but we must take hold of those blessings, first by discovering them in God’s Word, and then by implementing them in daily life through faith.

Conclusion

Mario Cuomo, governor of New York, tells of a time when he was especially discouraged during a political campaign: “I couldn’t help wondering what Poppa would have said if I told him I was tired or–God forbid–discouraged. A thousand pictures flashed through my mind, but one scene came sharply into view.”

The Cuomo family had just moved into a new house, their first house with some trees. One tree, a great blue spruce, stood about 40 feet tall. But one night, less than a week after they moved in, they came home in a terrible storm to find that tree fallen, its roots pulled almost entirely from the ground. The family was dejected as they stood looking at this fallen giant. But Poppa, who stood barely five feet six, was determined. He declared, “Okay, we gonna push ‘im up!”

“What are you talking about, Poppa? the roots are out of the ground!” “Shut up, we gonna push ‘im up!” You couldn’t say no to him, so they got a rope and stood, pushing and pulling in the rain, and eventually got that great tree back in the hole, and then propped and staked upright again. Poppa declared, “Don’t worry, he’s gonna grow again.”

Cuomo reports that if you were to drive past that house today, you would see a straight, 65-foot blue spruce, pointing up to the heavens, with no hint that it once had its nose on the asphalt (cited in Leadership [Winter, 1993], p. 49).

Maybe as a Christian, like that tree in the storm, you’re fallen and discouraged. God wants you to stand upright again and to sink down roots so that you can weather the storms ahead. The roots that you need to persevere are to flee worldliness, to pursue godliness, to fight for the faith, and to take hold of the eternal life to which He has called you. Easy? No! Fleeing, pursuing, fighting, and taking hold all imply hardship and effort. But with Paul, Timothy, and many others who have gone before, God will give you strength to go the distance as you seek to obey His Word.

Copyright 1994, Steven J. Cole, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

Hebrew 12:1-3 New International Version (NIV)

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

1/9/2020

QIC: Semi

WARM-A-RAMA

20 All i/c
Seal jack
Plank jack
Windmill
Ssh
Seal wave
Cherry picker

THANG

Mosey to front steps of library
10 box jumps
10 hand release merkins
Up the steps 2 at a time and back down
10 each leg split squats
20 wide merkins
Up the steps 1 at a time and back down
5 tempo squats-3 count i/c
5 diamond merkins
Up the steps 2 at a time and back down

Mosey to park across the river
Using walls in park
4 rounds
10 derkins
10 urkins
20 double count flutter kicks

3rd F
Marriage after God – podcast
Communication
Date night
Community

Toy soldier set
50 lbcs
30 e2k
15 big boys

Mosey to bridge – crawl bear across
Mosey back to library

6 HIM showed today; semi, Chappie, Ruxpin, papa bear, Chairman, FNG loose wheel

Number Rama
Name rama
Cot


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