Ephesians 1:3

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Praise for saving our hides. Seems we do that for normal everyday things – like avoiding getting that ticket, having that lacrosse ball size rock from the construction truck bounce over the car instead of hitting the windshield at 80 mph, etc. (we’re on a road trip to AL so I have some recent experience). What about the big things though? What about our souls? What about the inner core that makes us who we are? Shouldn’t we be shouting in the streets that our souls have been saved? We say thanks for accidental savings, yet struggle to acknowledge intentional saving, even though the internal saving can’t be fixed with a few dollars and had eternal consequences.

2 Timothy 4:7
7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

I have kept the faith says Paul, even sitting in a Roman jail. Amazing words and I wonder what they really were drawn from. What were Paul’s fights? I wonder if he had any regrets. Yet, he understood the blessings of grace, he understood the spiritual blessings Christ has washed us with. He, after meeting Christ so forcefully on the way to Damascus, knew first hand the gift we’ve been given to have been given. He knew the importance of the bullet we’ve stuffed through Christ’s intentional intercession on our behalf. I have fought the good fight he says. Good words for a headstone.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6
4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

So we have the foundation to fight from. Love.

From love Christ came to us. Do you deny that? From love we are to live, to fight, to lead, to struggle against evil and lies. From love we are to be the light. From love we are to push back the darkness. From love we are to joyfully submit to God and let him use us in his battle against evil. That’s a good fight.

What’s your fight about?