ALL IN LOVE

When I ponder love, I think about G.I. Joe, yes that "Real American Hero."

Of all the nostalgic toys my brother had, this would have been his prize possession, a full-size, fully uniformed G.I. Joe man that came with his own machine gun and helmet. The most impressive feature he touted, however, was that he had 21 movable parts on him. Yep, you guessed it; I broke that one too. Sorry, bro! My brother's G.I. Joe wasn't the G.I. Joe of my childhood; mine not only had cool action figures but it's very own cartoon. Sure, all the amazing battle scenes in the cartoon I remember, but what I remember most is the 30-second public service announcements that the different G.I. Joe characters would present at the end of the show. Some of my favorites included "What to do if you catch on fire," featuring Spirit, and "Don't pet strange animals" featuring Mutt. You see, every time I saw one of those G.I. Joe PSAs, I thought to myself, those guys really care enough about me to tell me the truth.

That is exactly what this Bible plan is; a PSA of truth to men. The truth of the matter is, and if we are completely honest with ourselves, we are losing the battle. The world has yet to see what a true man of God looks like. Yes, there may be a few good men out there, but there are legions upon legions of other men who are silently sitting on the sidelines and playing the part of the passive nice fellow. The silence will kill us. We can not be afraid to speak the truth in love when we see something that does not honor God. Yes, we speak up and against it, with love, always in love. Acting in love does not mean that we endorse or condone others' dishonorable actions; it simply means that we will live out the truth and clothe ourselves in love in all we do and say. 

Sometimes people are just watching and waiting for someone to stand up for righteousness and point them in the right direction and, in doing so, very well may save their life. That is what a real hero does; he lays down his life and pride, and he points. He points to the Great General of Generals, the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

That's how we will win the war by living lives of love, and now you know... and knowing is half the battle. 

ACTION QUESTIONS:

1:  Why will silence and passivity destroy us?

2:  How can we share truth in love with someone who may not want to hear it at first?

3:  Where do you need to stand up and walk in love?