Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:22)
Expanded Passage: 2 Timothy 2:22-24
Running is difficult for me. When I am alone, I quickly lose the will to push myself. When I run with a friend, however, her presence spurs me to keep up my pace. Instead of falling into angry recriminations about why I am torturing myself in this manner, I can focus on the enjoyment of my friend’s company and the accomplishment of keeping a steady, if hard, pace. Running with a friend pushes me to exert myself more—and to have a better attitude about it.
It is no accident that Paul urged Timothy to flee evil desires and pursue good ones with fellow believers. Alone, Timothy could tire and his determination flag. With others to spur him along in his faith journey, Timothy could keep pursuing righteousness with renewed vigor.
While it is hard to withstand the temptation to give in to despair or habitual sins, it is even harder when there is no one to hold us accountable or encourage us toward better paths. When our desire to fall into self-pity, bad habits, or old addictions becomes too strong to resist, a fellow Christian can come alongside and encourage us to keep fleeing these things and pursuing better courses. We need other believers to push us onward when the going gets hard—to help each other just keep running toward God.
Find running partners for your faith journey.
Emma Dainty is a Houghton University (NY) senior who loves reading, birding, and deep conversations about books.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
