FBC Daily Devotions

FLEE YOUTHFUL LUSTS

Read 2 Timothy 2:22.

In the previous passage, Paul talks about there being vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. Obviously, we are called to be vessels of honor, “useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2Tim. 2:21). How do we become vessels of honor? That is the subject for the week. Paul gives us several negative and positive imperatives. Today it is flee and pursue.

What are we to flee? We are to flee youthful lust. Now think about that for a minute. Why would he specify youthful lusts, and not just lust in general? (And by the way, have you ever heard of elderly lusts? I’m sure they exist, but the contrast is fairly obvious – as people get older, generally speaking, they grow in wisdom and see their once youthful pursuits to be really not that important after all.) In response to the specificity of youth, it is good to remember that Timothy was still fairly young, and was probably facing the temptations that every younger person faces – the temptation to pursue things that could shipwreck his faith. Paul tells Timothy to FLEE those lusts.

In our youth, we often lack wisdom and pursue things that may seem important, things that seem as though we can’t live without. It is often not until we are older that we see those pursuits as fleeting and foolish. Experience often has a way of filtering out bad choices. But let’s be clear here: Paul is not asking Timothy to wait until he is older and more mature to figure it out. He is telling Timothy to run away NOW from those lusts. It means making the willful choice to do what perhaps in our immaturity draws us so powerfully away from a healthy and growing relationship with God. We cannot wait until the enticement goes away on its own. It may never go away. Plus, age does not guarantee maturity. Maturity comes when immature people make willful choices to do what is better or best despite the draw of immature enticements. Maturity is product of discipline.  

By telling him to flee, Paul is telling Timothy to run to a place of safety. Imagine a hand grenade being thrown at your feet. What would you do? You could pick it up and throw it away, but chances are you would instinctively run away as fast as you could. Youthful lust is like a hand grenade. It initially looks harmless, but in time its effects are tragic. That’s why we are to flee youthful lusts and run to a place of safety. Where is safety found? We’ll see that tomorrow. For now, though, consider what you are pursuing right now. Look at your life. What are the things you are pursuing? Looking years down the road, consider if those things will really matter in the long run. Perhaps those are the things to flee now rather than later.

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Questions for Home Groups

1) What are some examples of “youthful lusts” today?

2) Have you ever pursued any of those yourself? How, if at all, have those pursuits affected your decisions today? (i.e. what have you learned from those pursuits?)

3) Where do you need help fleeing youthful lusts in your life?