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"