Daily Devotional for December 3, 2020
Not by Might
“Matt!” Dad said when he got home from work. “How did you get that swollen lip? Have you been in a fight?”
“David started it,” said Matt quickly. “And besides, the Bible tells us to fight. I read one the other day about fighting a good fight of faith. This was a real good one!”
Dad sighed. “You know that verse isn’t referring to fistfights. It’s talking about embracing your faith and boldly telling others about Jesus.”
“That’s what I was doing!” said Matt. “See, David heard me say I’m a Christian. He told me—right in front of all the kids—that Christians are wimps. I told him that’s a lie and to take a swing at me if he dared. The next thing I knew, he hit me! But I won, Dad. I pinned him against the wall and twisted his arm and made him apologize for saying Christians are wimps. Then I asked him if he wanted to be a Christian too, and I twisted his arm some more till he said yes.”
Dad moaned and ran a hand down his face. “Why would you do that, Matt?”
“Well, I was fighting for Jesus,” said Matt. “Like I said—I even got David to say he wanted to be a Christian.”
“You know very well you can’t force a person into wanting to be saved,” Dad said sternly. “And that’s not the way we fight for Jesus. The Bible says, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.’ The Spirit of Jesus is love, kindness, and humility. That’s how Christians encourage others to trust in Him—not by twisting their arms.”
“But, Dad! David was making fun of me—and of all Christians,” Matt protested.
“Lots of people made fun of Jesus too,” Dad replied, “but He didn’t punch those who laughed at Him or even argue with them. Instead, He died for them—and for us. That’s how we fight for Jesus—by showing His sacrificial love to others. Even if people call us wimps because of it.”
Matt sighed. “I get it. I’ll apologize.”
“Good,” said Dad. “But fighting is serious, and I’m going to need to call the school and David’s parents. From now on, be a friend to David. Then maybe you can really win him to the Lord.” • Harry C. Trover
How about you?
Are you fighting battles for Jesus? Today’s Bible reading describes the qualities the Holy Spirit gives you to use as you stand up for Jesus. It mentions things like love, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control. That might sound like the opposite of what you’d bring to a fight, but that’s the kind of love Jesus showed when He conquered sin and death on the cross. It’s not by might that you can win others—even your enemies—to Jesus, but only by His love.
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