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Fugitive

When we hear someone described as being a fugitive it is never a good thing. "He is a fugitive of justice." That means someone is on the run; he has broken the law, and now the cops are trying to find him. We also use that word when someone breaks out of prison and there is a manhunt trying to track him down. To be a fugitive means you have made a series of bad choices, first in breaking the law, and then in attempting to evade the consequences. 

But it doesn't have to be a bad word. Several times in the New Testament someone is commanded to become a fugitive.

One such example is in 2 Timothy 2:22 where Paul writes, "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."  

Like a fugitive, the word is hiding in the text. We don't see it because it is only in the original Greek. The word translated as flee is the Greek word pheuge, and it gives us our English word fugitive. Rather than being a fugitive of the system, Paul told Timothy to become a fugitive of sin. Run as fast and as far away from it as you possible can. Don't let it find you. Head for the border. Wear a disguise. Lay low. Do whatever you have to do to keep these youthful passions (or any kind of sin) from finding you. 

And while you are running, run towards righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Let those actions become your lifestyle. The Bible never tells us to stop doing something without telling us what to replace it with. The objective is not to sit still, doing our best not to break the rules, but to be actively doing what is right and good.

So if you are not a fugitive, become one right now. Don't waste another minute; time is of the essence. Flee anything and everything sinful, and run towards the life you are meant to be living.  


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