1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 (ESV) 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I have always loved movies that include grand battle scenes. Yeah, I’m a typical male, bite me! Movies like Braveheart, Kingdom of Heaven, The Patriot, The Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, etc.
The crescendo happening of course during the pinnacle “Charge Scene.” When both forces sprint towards the other at full speed after some uplifting and encouraging speech or cry by the noble leader!
The “good guys” had been wronged so fully by the villains of the story! It was time for pay back! It was time to get revenge! It was time for justice! Let loose the dogs of war and charge forth my brothers! For blood and glory! For terror and wrath!!! Okay I am getting a little too excited here…
Now, if only God’s church would turn that energy towards “charging forth” for the Kingdom of Christ. What kind of a world would that be?! Honestly, probably pretty horrible. You see this is where we receive a humbling wake up call.
We aren’t the ones to “get the bad guys.” We aren’t the ones to “avenge the lost.” Those roles lie in the hands of God Almighty! So why am I bringing this up after purposely amping us all up?
Look at the Scripture above…what is the opening thought? It is a command from God Himself, as written by the Apostle Paul, that it is in HIS hands. We should seek not to repay evil for another. We are to seek to do good!
So, if it is in His hands, what part do we play in this? We are then given two commands immediately after that. The first is to rejoice ALWAYS! Not sometimes but ALWAYS! Even in spite of the times when it appears “the bad guy is winning.” When evil is running rampant in our world it is our job to rejoice that it is not in our hands and never was. We rejoice that it is in GOD’S hands and always will be!
The second command is our pinnacle thought right now. If we are to play no part in such things, then what is it that we can actually do? We get to fight. And I know what you’re saying, “Didn’t you just say we DON’T do the fighting?” Not exactly… My dear brothers and sisters, God has given us the most powerful weapon that has ever been given as a blessing to mankind. The ability to fight with a supernatural force.
We get the privilege to fight on our knees in prayer. In this scripture we see a command to pray without ceasing. To be a constant conversation with our most wonderful Lord. To petition His will! His justice! His love! His healing! His power! His glory! FOR HIS KINGDOM!
You’re not the hero in His story. Christ is! Let Christ be the hero! Let Him lead the charge! A charge we participate in through humble and reverent prayer! You see we can storm the very gates of Hell itself with such a weapon! As we grow closer to God through the peace and joy that comes with prayer and reliance upon Him for strength…Hell grows smaller by the moment, and Heaven swells! The enemy trembles before the might of God and Heaven rejoices as more souls are saved unto Christ!
Church…how much time have you spent in prayer today? Let’s be real, not enough. Right now, in this very moment, may we all drop to our knees before a Holy King and rely upon Him. May we seek His wisdom, patience, love, power direction, and healing. Wage war against all that stands against God through such a beautiful and noble act.
So, brothers and sisters…join me in this charge!
SOLI DEO GLORIA!!!!
