Craig T. Owens

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In 2 Timothy 2:22, the apostle Paul puts together two unlikely words: flee and pursue. 

You may think those words are opposites, but actually they are partners in a leader’s effectiveness. Godly leaders have Don’ts and Dos that help them operate at their peak effectiveness. It seems to me that the Don’ts need to be attended to first, which will enable leaders to do the Dos better. 

Or as Paul might say it: Flee the Don’ts to pursue the Dos. 

In vv. 22-26, here is what we learn—

Flee these Don’ts:

• Don’t pursue merely temporal desires 
• Don’t engage in foolish arguments about meaningless things 
• Don’t be quarrelsome 
• Don’t resent others, even those who are opposing you 

Pursue these Dos: 

• Do strive for righteousness, faith, love, and peace to be more evident in all of your relationships 
• Do be kind to everyone 
• Do learn to teach well, especially those who have been taken captive to do the devil’s will 

The Dos require a full-time engagement of my time and energy, allowing me to continually grow in my faith in God and in my leadership acumen. The Don’ts will cause my growth to plateau and then to stagnate. 

A mark of a godly leader is one who knows his Don’ts and Dos. 

So I challenge you: don’t do the Don’ts so that you can do the Dos better, which will then allow your leadership influence to continue to grow. 

This is part 87 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.

P.S. You may also want to read my post I Checked Nothing Off My To Do List Today.

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