June 12

But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. — 1 Tim 6:11 BSB

This expression can be understood in two ways. First, it refers to the revelation of Christ’s righteousness to our conscience in the way of justification. Second, it refers to the communication of a divine or righteous nature to the soul, producing sincerity and uprightness before God. Both of these are to be sought after.

But some may ask, why seek the first if we already have a sense of our justification and acceptance with God? But think of the parable of the woman who lost a coin (Luke 15:8). Didn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she found it? The coin wasn’t actually lost—it was still in the house. Yet, to her, it felt as though it was lost, as if she might never see it again.

In the same way, a sense of our acceptance and justification in Christ may be lost in feeling, though not truly lost from the heart. When this happens, what can the soul do but search diligently, lighting the lamp of the Spirit, to recover that precious sense of God’s acceptance?