Love is My Armor.

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"

Romans 12: 9-21

Romans 13 then goes on to say... "Own no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultury, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law... So let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light..."

These are some of my all time favorite passages of scripture. Regardless of how many times I read it, I find myself wandering back to Romans 12 and 13 to be reminded of what radical love looks like. (If you have time, I encourage you to read both chapters in full...)

Paul is calling the church in Rome to a level of love that almost seems unattainable. He is demanding absolute righteousness from this congregation. I read it and I am overwhelmed. How can I keep to every single one of these?? Outdo one another in showing honor, seek to show hospitality, never be wise in your own sight... I feel like just one will take a lifetime to fully grasp... But there is hope!!

As I kept reading, Romans 13 gave me the pathway to the lifestyle Paul is asking of us in the previous chapter. "Love does no wrong to a neighbor..." The answer is love. REAL LOVE. If I genuinely love people, I will automatically honor them, bless them, and so on...

But that's not where this stops for me. Love is not only the pathway to righteous living, it is a method of battle against darkness. Paul calls it "putting on the armor of light." What else is armor used for?? Armor is not for the fearful and lazy. It is for those preparing for war. We are clothing ourselves in the armor of light and love in order to take back from the enemy the souls he has possessed. Love is a violent method of warfare.

I want to see revival. I want to see my generation overcome and empowered with the knowledge of God. I pray for it. But, we mustn't stop there. We must LOVE them. Every honorable deed, every act of service, every meek response, is another spear thrust into the heart of the enemies plans.

Jesus personified this perfectly with his life and death. He physically fought no one, but his reckless love for all man is what ultimately defeated the enemy of darkness. (Romans 15 actually talks about the example of Christ.)

I pray that I can exemplify the love of Christ in such a way that it breaks the powers of darkness. Love is practical and beautiful.

I guess Pat Benatar had it right when she sang, "Love is a battlefield"

New Year's Revolutions

I've never been one to keep resolutions that I've made in the New Year. To be honest, they are usually broken within the first day. I can't even remember what they are by the end of the year. (Thinking back to this past January, I have no idea what I resolved to do in the year 2010).

I've decided that simply making a list isn't enough to bring about change in my attitude and lifestyle. It sounds like common sense when I say it that way, but hear me out. It is a common practice in our culture to sit down at the beginning of every year and write out things we want to change in our lives. I am no scientific researcher, but I would assume that most people don't actually hold true to these little lists.

What's the problem? We are not going after the heart issues. It is not enough to change habit. Eat less, exercise more, actually read the Bible consistently... These are all merely symptoms to deeper problems in our inner man. If we are not dealing with the heart of the matter, then we will never keep our silly little resolutions. They will always reappear as long as the problem remains in our hearts.

My goal this year is to ask the Lord not only to reveal to me the habits that need to be changed, but I want to take it step further. What changes need to be made on a deeper level? I don't want another year to go by where I've made another crappy list and there is no difference in my life. I want the Lord to bring real change to my heart. A New Year's Revolution I'm calling it...

Amen.

Let Us Return

This is a call to my own heart.

"Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains water the earth." Hosea 6:1-3

Let us press on to know the Lord.

He is faithful.

He is my Water.

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So, I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will left up my hands. My soul will be satisfied..." Psalm 63:1-5

As I read these words, I am reminded that following the Lord is not a passive mission. This passage awakes within me a tenacity to know Him. This is not a timid request from King David. Earnestly he's asking the Father for the satisfaction of His presence.

He paints this picture to describe his desperation: Imagine the traveler in a desolate land, begging for a drink of water to quench his thirst. Without this, he will die. Water is necessary for survival. A man in search for water, dying of thirst, will not be apathetic... This is the behavior David is likening his search for the Lord to.

I find myself falling into this attitude of passivity. Do I really know that His love is better than life itself? I don't think so... But I want too. I want to pursue a relationship with the Father the same way I would search for water while dying of thirst. It is violent. It is messy. But I will know Him more and I will be satisfied in His love.

That Your Soul May Live...

"Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live." Isaiah 55:3

It is a constant battle for my soul to feel fully alive. I'm busy. I'm tired. I'm (insert excuse here). But, the solution is simple. Listen. I incline my ear to the voice of the Holy Spirit and He speaks life into my soul.

His words sustain me. They instruct me. They strengthen me. And I am forever dependent on them.

Father. Teach me to listen, that I may live.