"Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But WE DO ALL THINGS, BELOVED, for your EDIFICATION. For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults...Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for EDIFICATION and not for DESTRUCTION." ~2 Corinthians 12:19-20 & 13:10
Brothers & sisters in Christ, we must know and be reminded that not all tension is bad, foolish, and evil. Some tension is Divinely Appointed by God.
If God is willing to let us wrestle with Him till we see His face, it is good and edifying within the parameters of His character (justice, love, mercy, humility), to wrestle with one another.
The strings on musical instruments have to have tension in order to be in tune. But whether they are too lax or too tight, the music will be out of tune. There is a fine balance, a sweet spot.
If we would grow in warfare, there must be appointments and lessons for training. We will not be skilled if we never duel, if we never wrestle with one another. Yet, we are not appointed to forever duel and wrestle with one another; our destiny is to fight the Enemy, not each other. We only duel and wrestle with one another, in love, that we may learn and be equipped to fight our Enemy. We do not remain forever training in the castle; we are called out to the battlefield, to besiege the gates of Hell. This d(f)ueling and wrestling is a means to an end, not an end of itself.
When a blade is forged, it must be heated and both sides beaten. If the steel is cold, it cannot be formed. If it is heated too much, it will melt and be destroyed. God is forging us [and we are through our familyship (to a certain degree) doing in each other], heating with the perfect, enlightening fire of His Holy Spirit, flipping the blades of our souls from one side to another, beating it with the hammer and on the anvil of His Word, until we are an instrument that He can use and be glorified by and through.
"Finally, brethren, farewell.
Become complete.
Be of good comfort
Be of one mind
Live in peace
and the God of love and peace will be with you."
~2 Corinthians 13:11
YOU ARE READING
Different Things God is teaching Me
SpiritualWhen God shows His love, mercy, forgiveness, longsuffering, and grace towards you...it shouldn't stop with you. You are destined to pass it on to others and reflect faithfulness and devotion back to Him as the Divine Spouse. Cover Art by Maria Oosth...
