Reflecting on 1 Timothy 6:12-16 and Matthew 21:12-17
1 Timothy 6:12—”Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in front of many witnesses.”
Matthew 21: 13— [Jesus] said to them. ”My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.“
I have often heard people say that Jesus is love. We focus on the softer side, the loving, gentle, merciful, forgiving side of Christ. The Christ that comforts us in times of sorrow. Christ is all of those things, He is most definitely my comfort in times of despair. He is my safe place that I can rest. He knows my heart and my mind, I can be my true and total self in His presence knowing that He loves me unconditionally.
We must not neglect that scripture tells us Christ is also strong! Matthew 21:12-13 shows us how Jesus reacted when he saw people turning the temple courts into a “den of robbers”. He overthrew tables and drove out the buyers and sellers. This is no meek, docile person. He stood firm on the Scripture, did not back down and held people accountable for their actions.
I used to avoid confrontation even when I knew I was in the right. I didn’t like the discomfort that came from disagreeing with someone. Jesus sets the example of the balance between loving our neighbor and holding one another accountable. He is love and mercy but He is also strength and righteousness. As we strive to always learn, grow and become closer to our creator, let us not forget that same balance in our lives. Let us love one another and through that love help each other stay on the righteous path by also saying, “Fight the good fight of faith” Timothy 6:12.
Let’s hold one another accountable.
Written by: Kathy Gull, FaithPoint
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