Christ is Message and Messenger

Every word spoken by Jesus must be understood by the life of Jesus. The one cannot be separated from the other. If we attempt to understand what He said without reference to what He did, we do violence to God's revelation of Himself. Here are some examples:

"Give up your right to yourself." Can this mean self-destruction, masochism, obliteration of the personality? See the perfect Son of God, exercising his human will in the fullness of its God-given power, as He offers Himself, pours out his soul unto death. What life streams from that giving up. What strength springs from his weakness.

"The truth shall make you free" (Jn 8:32 AV)--words often wrested away from their context ("lf you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free") and also away from the Man who spoke them. His life, his every act, was perfectly free. It was free because He heard the Word of the Father, did what He saw Him do, and knew Him. His freedom was the result of his obedience. There is no shortcut to our freedom. We must live the life Christ lived--a life of faith, a will offered to the Father, daily obedience. - E.E.

Patience and kindness. Not very powerful words. They don’t exactly strike fear into the heart. And yet, they are powerful weapons in the world today. To use them means to die to self. Think about the greatest victory in history that was overcome. The battle was won with love. Love displayed on a cross. The epitome of selflessness. When we choose to fight this world with God’s weapons, we can never fail. Living for myself is natural. Living for God and others can be a struggle. But with His help all things are possible. The Bible reminds us that showing kindness to the world is like heaping burning coals upon their head. So, today, with God’s help, I hope to show other’s kindness. Even if they don’t deserve it. Isn’t that what Christ did for us?

Weapons of Righteousness
“The means of conquering the world, spiritually speaking, are not weapons of violence or organized power. In fact they are not thought of in the world as "weapons" at all, but as pitifully ineffective for obtaining any kind of victory. They are patience and kindliness, gifts of the Holy Spirit, sincere love, declaring the truth and the power of God. They are weapons which we wield in both hands, right and left (2 Cor 6:6,7).

The object of our conquest not being power, position, property, or personal satisfaction, the weapons required are not such as would be used by men seeking those things. Our Captain had one aim in dying for us--that we should cease to live for ourselves (2 Cor 5:15). This is our aim. Therefore our weapons will seem to those whose aim is worldly (i.e., "natural," and selfish), a strange set to choose.” – E.E.