Preemptive Strike part 2
Sometimes I think we're too passive about things. But then again, sometimes I think we're too aggressive about things. I think we need to find a balance. We can't always just react to what happens. Because a lot of times when we have that knee jerk reaction, its an OVERreaction. But at the same time, I think if we're always looking for a fight... well, if you're looking for something, you can usually find it. I think--and this is the point of this Rant series--that what we ought to be looking for is any and every opportunity to love people. THAT should be our response. And THAT should be our preemptive strike. That should be the first, and only, bullet in our gun. If I can say it that way. The only tool in our toolbox. And the best thing about love being the only thing that we need, is that it is LITERALLY the only thing that we need. Because, like a diamond, it is multifaceted. Shine a light through it from different angles and you see things differently. Let me try to show you what I'm talking about. "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2). The Tree of Life--one singular tree--bears twelve manner of fruit. One fruit from one tree. The Tree of Life. The fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. Love is the fruit that the Tree of Life produces. And since Jesus is that vine, and we are the branches of that tree, love is the fruit that we bear. That we carry to those that need it. Which is everybody, by the way. But here's my point for today: The 12 different manners of fruit, one for each of the twelve months of the year, says to me that love rules and reigns all year round. Twenty four hours a day, three hundred sixty five days a year. And the leaves of the tree, by the way, are for the HEALING of the NATIONS. Love heals us, and connects us. It (HE) is the glue that binds us together. Because we ARE all in this together. Jesus is altogether lovely, and as the different parts of His many-membered body, we are lovely all together. We need each other. Life is too big to do alone. Its not good for man to be alone. And its not good for man to always be on the defensive, or the offensive. Either extreme is bad. We need to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life--again, love--and we need to share that fruit with those who need it. Again, everybody. And don't neglect the partaking part. Jesus said if you don't eat of His body and drink of His blood you have no part with Him. He is the only thing that can satisfy that need, or that desire, inside us. That God-shaped, love-shaped void can only be filled by God. By love. And the only way we can really "destroy" our enemies is when we realize we don't HAVE enemies. Only friends that don't know they're friends yet. We destroy them by MAKING them our friends. By loving the hell out of them. And we don't have to wait for anything to get that ball rolling. We have what people need--whether they know they need it or not--and because we have it, we can give it to them. We can share it. You can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. Know (and believe) what you have... and give it away. Receive it, and release it!