War

This is war. Life is not a game created by sadistic gods; a meaningless endeavor to make sense of a senseless world. Nor is it meant solely for pleasure, "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die".

It is war. The sovereign God of the universe unfolding His plan with every stroke of the writer's pen and the warrior's sword. Intricately woven in the fabic of time, we are merely threads, each contributing to the Master's plan. He directs every move, all things happening "according to the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11). He does what He pleases in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath (Psalm 115:3). Yahweh alone is King.

The realization sinks in, sits, unsettled. But this is a different story. The unthinkable has already happened. The Master has entered His plan, disrupted all logic, and died in this war. Our role in this masterpiece matters little; in the end, we all win.

We are fighting the wrong enemy. Is it because we don't understand? "Conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your exile" .. do we consider this world our home? "Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance"... are we enslaved to the patterns of this world? (1 Peter 1:14,17)

We fight in desperation against the enemies we can see, the struggles we feel, the fear we can taste. A myriad of potential threats lies before us, all threatening to take the life we know, or dream to have. So we lash out, each in his own way, to protect and keep the reality and the distant dream alive.

But the real battle is inside. The real war is written on the pages of scripture, our orders clear: "Prepare your minds for action, be sober-minded, and set your hope fully on the grace to be revealed... be holy as I am holy" (1 Peter 1:13).

We were not "ransomed from our futile ways with perishable things... but with the precious blood of Christ". Our lives are worthy of so much more than a fixation on the world's futility! We have been redeemed, as a measure of grace, "for obedience" and so that our faith may be found "to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:18).

What are you fighting? Is it worth the life you have been given?

He is coming again. The Kingdom is near.

"You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light so that you may proclaim His praises" (1 Peter 2:9)