I read through to Job 19 today, and while his friends continue to berate him in an attempt to be 'helpful', he says something in Job 16:4-5 that caught my attention. In keeping with yesterday's post on speaking the truth in love, Job says, "I could also speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. / But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief." I think caring about people's misfortune, and looking after their needs, is the godly thing to do, building them up rather than kicking them while they're down. God loves people, and when He disapproves of our actions it's not because of a lack of love or acceptance, it's because those actions will be harmful spiritually, and often emotionally, socially, physically and in other ways, and He loves us too much to approve of behaviour that is destructive to ourselves or others. As a godly man, I need to recognize what is right and what is not, without losing sight of the motive of love behind it.
Another thing I've been thinking about, on the topic of spiritual warfare, is that our enemy, Satan, doesn't want us to be effective in the fight, and so he tries to convince the world that we are dangerous, and he's not likely to bother drawing the line at persecuting effective Christians, he doesn't mind if we all come under attack. With that in mind, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by being effective. The truth is, by the grace and power of God, we are dangerous, but not in the way the world fears. We demolish arguments and pretenses that set themselves up against God, we fight against supernatural powers and overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony... but we love people. We fight not against those who fear us, we fight for them - to rescue them, to loose the chains of darkness and bring the enemy's prisoners out alive. I choose to be dangerous, for God's glory and for the sake of all those around me.
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