The Resistance

SCRIPTURE:  In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:4 NIV

THOUGHT: Like a tree growing out of a rock, resistance is a force within us that requires a combination of fight and God’s grace.

The resistance is a phrase that often pops up when you read about WWII. Referring to loosely organized, clandestine civilians that fought Nazi control through underground operations, these people risked their lives to counter propaganda, smuggle Jews, interrupt German supply lines, and other actions that kept them from feeling completely powerless in the face of such evil. In a very real sense, those who joined the resistance were struggling against sin, and many were Christians whose faith compelled them to act.

The writer of Hebrews, whoever that blessed person was, issues a word that feels like correction to those of us who take sin casually, perhaps comparing our sin to that of others and feeling pretty good about ourselves. But remember, that was the tact of the Pharisees and not a good example to follow. Resisting sin in our own lives, tending to the log in our own eye to use Jesus’ words, has to precede resisting sin in others. And that means resistance starts with repentance.

PRAYER: Oh Jesus, you are our example, resisting all sin to the point of shedding your blood for us. We cannot be you, but we can be your disciples, resisting and throwing off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us so we are free to minister to the world you love.