A Final Word part 1
I've learned that when the Bible repeats something, it's important. That's a key to the Kingdom. Another one, in my opinion, is when the writers (usually Paul) just straight up underlines something. Like in Ephesians 6:10-11 (NLT), "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." And you guys know by now how I feel about the devil. The accuser. The one who can be completely and easily ignored when you know the truth of the gospel. The ultimate truth of the universe that says God is love and He loves you. When you know who you really are, nothing anybody accuses you of matters. When you know your sins have been washed clean you can walk with your head held high. Final word on the matter--let God be true and every man a liar. One of my favorite quotes from any TV show ever, "Lions do not concern themselves with the opinions of sheep." It doesn't matter what people think--or say--about you. You are not what people call you. But you ARE what you answer to. So make sure you're listening to the right thing. Make sure you're being strong in the Lord and the power of HIS might. Make sure it is the still, small voice deep inside that is leading you, guiding you, directing you, and protecting you. The still, small voice deep inside your heart that is your heavenly Father saying, "I love you" with every beat of HIS heart in your chest. That's what we ought to listen to. That's how we put on the armor of God. Because that love IS the armor of God. That is what we can stand on, and (in a sense) hide behind. His love. The Rock that is our foundation is God's love for us. Period. When we know we are loved we can stop trying to get love. Love is never about getting, because love is giving. The key is knowing it and believing it. Receiving it and releasing it. Don't use the armor of God to attack people. Use it to defend people. And notice that I didn't say "use it to defend yourself." You don't need to defend yourself. You're covered. It's mind over matter, man. If you don't mind, they don't matter. People can, and will, talk. That doesn't mean you have to listen. You can simply lay aside the weight and the sin (unbeilef, or wrong belief, or believing that God DOESN'T love you) that so easily besets you. You don't have to get tripped up. You can let God hold you up. In fact, that's one of my favorite Bible verses. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). See, we like to preach and teach about overcoming. About getting back up once we've been knocked down. But nobody ever seems to grasp the reality that we don't have to fall in the first place! Our God can keep us from failling. He can hold us up when the world is trying to drag us down. And just like the final word on the subject in Ephesians was "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power," the final word on EVERY subject is God's love. Let that love hold you up. Stand firm on it. Let God love you and love Him back by loving the people you come into contact with. Let God love you and everything else will flow from that glorious truth. When we try to do it all on our own we WILL fail and fall. When we let God do what HE is of a mind to do--His glory, His strength, His power--that's when things go the way they're supposed to. Not always the way we think they will (or should), but definitely how they're supposed to. The final word? God knows the end from the beginning. So trust in Him. Be strong in HIS strength. Be strong in His love!