Divine Weaponry

Daily Reading: 2 Corinthians 10

Scripture Focus: For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10.4-5)

Devotional Thought:  We are in a war whose battles are of such a nature that we cannot fight them with the weapons of this world.  How do we prevail?  "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 

Two things we know:

• The church should be united as the body of Christ.  Jesus said so himself. “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17.21).  We are one body through the Spirit; and we should “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4.3, NIV).

• We should love one another as God loved us.  I have seen too often those who claim to be believers resorting to lies, deceit, and downright meanness to tear down another believer with whom they disagreed.  Loving one another as God loved us requires us to put aside our own preferences.  It requires us to lay down our arms (even when we just KNOW we are right!) in the spirit of grace and unity.

When faced with these situations as Paul was, we respond by turning to those things we know about God.  We lay aside our different opinions and stand united as the body of Christ.  We love one another, acknowledging our great debt of love (Romans 13.8).  We fight with weapons that are not of this world:  selflessness, humility, mercy, and truth.  Then how brilliantly the light of the Spirit will shine – like a beacon in the darkness!

Jenny

Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, when I take up the weapons of this world.  Fill me with love and unity.  Grant that I would have the mind of Christ.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 116.5-9

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.

6 The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.

7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;

9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.