Saturday, November 22, 2008

so be on guard, and firm in faith

1 Corinthians 16:13

13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14Do everything in love.


So if there is a daily battle going on inside of us, and the devil is searching relentlessly for a foot hold, how can we defend ourselves? We know that we are weak, we know that it is easier to give in to sin, if we do not try. So what to we do?

I believe the first thing we have to do is let go. One of the stones in our path is our need to feel that we are in control. As a result we end up looking for the advantage, and that is where the devil thrives. Just like in the story, we often find that the immediate advantage comes at a cost to someone else. The quarter always seems to drop right into our laps, and it is always easy to justify keeping that quarter. The Lord has a plan for each of us that is what we should be searching for.

This life is a constant journey, and just like any journey we have to keep our eyes on the road. If we get focused on nothing but the destination, then all too often we find ourselves tripping over the stones right in front of us. We have to be on guard, and rely on our faith. Yes there are obstacles in our path; there always will be, for the devil is always looking for a foot hold. We have to have the courage to take our hands off the wheel and let the Lord drive. We have to understand that we are weak; we cannot do this on our own. It is our weakness that will make us strong in Christ. Paul speaks to this when he tells the Corinthians in his second letter: 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. It is when we are at our weakest that the Lord is most able to work within us, because it is those times that we allow him to fully take control. When we understand it is OK to be weak, we can then allow more time for Christ to walk in step with us.

Lastly we should strive to do everything in love. Not some things, not most things, but everything. When we strive to make love our focus, we allow others to see the beauty of Christ. When we put love up as our motive, the snares of the devil become apparent, for anything done out of love will never cause another unneeded grief, and all of the quarters that fall into our lap will always cause grief, it will always cost someone else more than what we benefit from picking up that quarter and putting it in our pocket.

When we act out of love, we cannot fall into the traps, because our actions are for the benefit of others. If are striving to act out of love, we are not focused on ourselves, we are focused on others. We should let the Lord worry about our needs, and allow ourselves to worry about the needs of others. This is what Christ meant when he said that to be the most we will have to be willing to be the least. He will raise us to new heights, but only if we will get our pride out of the way, the best way to do that is to quit looking for the quarters, in our lives, and start looking for a way to be a blessing to others.

We should leave all of the quarters of life where they lay, least they turn into dollars. We should go out into the world on guard, full of faith in the Lord, taking the courage that comes forth from that faith, and do everything in love.

Peace,
Rev. Thetford

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