Studying God’s Word ping

A much needed reminder that we be “ wise as serpents and innocent as doves”. We are not commanded, in the name of Love, to embrace everyone and every idea.

Love is not “the warm fuzzies”. Love does that which is in accordance with God’s word and in the best interests of the other person. It does not include being an ‘enabler’ for their sin so that you will not hurt their feelings.

"If anyone comes to you and does not bring [sound doctrine], do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds"

Jesus wants us to love each other as He loves us and that is not a discriminating love, or a conditional sort of love based upon merit or some checklist. It is not a love that is difficult to obtain and easy to lose.

To be honest, I've had a lot of trouble with this one, both with other people and especially with me and my own self.

To me, that sort of love is tough to find or express to the sick and dying and the dead, because, in their sickness, they bring many contagions that could easily infect you, too, and your own house.

Yet, we are to be like a physician who never turns away from the sick and the dying, not when they are in their greatest need.

To heal the sick, and for the dead to be risen, we physicians in Christ are to repay evil with love and mercy, as He did.

Instead, whether in the moment or over time, we often fall back on Natural Law's "Eye for an eye" clause and repay evil with retribution, in whatever vengeance required, that we feel is justified, thus healing nothing.

In this way, we greet the sickness, thus bringing in and succumbing to the very evil we believe we've just slain.

That Satan character is one tricky dude when it comes to handling the human ego.

None the less, there can always be a happy ending with the right medicine, even for Darth Vader.

At first, I didn't think I had many references in my life to study to understand what this love looks like.

Ultimately I figured it's kinda like what Luke Skywalker said about his daddy, Darth, "There is still good in him."

And that was all Luke needed to know to do what he had to do to save his daddy Darth from the evil emperor. And it worked! He did it!

Luke: I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you.
Anakin: You already have, Luke.

Through our modern fable of a galaxy far, far away, we learn how greeting and giving in to the dark side eventually turns us into Sith Lords, as John warns about.

However, our repaying evil with love can cause even the deader than Darth Vaders to "Let go of the hate" and be risen.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:5-6 after praying for the Thessalonians' love to increase, Paul then commanded them to keep aloof from so- called Christians who were disregarding sound teaching.

HEY!!!