I will fight to follow
I will fight for love
Throw my life forever
To the triumph of the Son
---- Hillsong - Love is War
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From the beginning, the devil has been a sinner, a murder, and a liar. He came only to steal, kill, and destroy. He is the father of lies, always looking for someone to deceive and devour by stealing their hope & peace, and killing their faith and their dreams until they have nothing left to hope for. He has destroyed countless lives through his tactics of lies and deception. He is a coward who preys on our weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Jesus on the other hand was with God in the beginning, creating the heavens and the earth and everything in them, including us, which He made to bear His image. In contrast to the devil, in Him was life, and that life is the light of men. Rather than tearing down and destroying, He builds up and renews. The two are polar opposites of each other. One is darkness and death, the other is light and life. One came to kill and destroy, the other came to create and to give life. One breeds hatred, the other is Love.They are enemies of one another. It is a war between them.
God demonstrated that He is love by engaging in the war:
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to save the world. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. He came so that we can have life to the full.
We usually think of love as a feeling or emotion, but what did God's love look like when He sent Jesus to save the world? What He did, He did for His people. He had their best interest in mind. He did for them what they needed to be done. And what they needed, was for evil to be abolished because it was destroying them. He sent Jesus to war.
It wasn't easy, in fact it was hard. Jesus said that His soul was overwhelmed to the point of death. He was in so much anguish, that His sweat was like blood. He pleaded with the Father for possibly a different way, but said, "not as I will, but as you will."
God is love, and His love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus came to fight to protect the people God made in His image from the devil, and He will persevere until the end, whenever that might be.
The devil prowls around seeking to steal, kill and destroy people's lives. Because of this, we must also engage in the war with His kind of love because we are His image bearers, His disciples, His ambassadors on this earth. Not only when we are personally being attacked, but also when others are. We must protect them and persevere with them. This is one of God's purposes for the church and how it unites as one body.
As His chosen people who are holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity... And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:12-14, 17 NIV
This is Love.
It isn't easy, and is often hard. But God is love, and love is war. Look at some of what He instructed us to do. None of it is easy:
• Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.
• Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
• Love your neighbor as yourself.
• Love God.
• Love one another.
• Jesus Christ laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
• If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
• Forgive one another as the Lord forgave you.
• Bear with each other.
• Go and make disciples of all nations.
• Give generously so that your plenty will supply their need.
Evil exists and is rampant, so doing these things is hard. But God is love, and love is war. So even though it is hard, it is necessary to have the attitude of Jesus, "not as I will, but as you will," and to engage in the war.
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1 John 3:8
John 8:44
John 1:1-5
Genesis 1:26-27
1 Peter 5:8
John 3:16-17
John 10:10-11
Matthew 26:38-39
1 John 4:8
1 Corinthians 13:6-7
Ephesians 6:11-12
1 John 3:16-18
Mark 12:30-31
Galatians 5:14
John 13:34
Matthew 28:19
Colossians 3:13
2 Corinthians 8-9
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