Fighting the Good Fight

I'm going to keep going on in the Christian faith. I'm going to fight the GOOD fight.

I want to talk to you today about the different fights we can fight in this life.
There is the GOOD fight and there is the BAD fight.
What's the good fight and what's the bad fight?

Let's first illustrate the bad fight:
Let's say someone wrongs you in some way, for example, someone rapes you
What will you do in response?
Will you go back after the person with hatred, vengeance, anger, and rage and stab the person back, try and murder the person, or do harm?
This right here is the BAD fight.
What did Jesus say to do?
Luke 6:27 -28
"But to you who are listening I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
This is the GOOD fight.

Instead of taking revenge on people and acting out in malice, rage, scorn, hatred, you love them and show your love for them by praying for them. This is what Jesus said to do. Instead of hoping that they die and they suffer for what they've done to you, you pray for them in love deeply from your heart and hope that they turn their lives around, that they repent, that they turn back to God, so that they may be saved. That's the GOOD fight. Instead of hatred and violence and revenge, you turn to love.

The Good fight is
doing God's will:
staying sexually moral
keeping away from drugs and alcohol
respecting your parents no matter what
submitting to the authorities: paying your taxes, driving within the law,etc.
loving unconditionally no matter what

I encourage all of you today to fight the Good Fight.

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 the presence of many witnesses."

2 Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Keep fighting the good fight and NOT the bad fight. It's easy to fight the bad fight. It's easy to exchange hate for hate. It's easy to love those who love you, but not those who hate you.

But Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?"
None
The Good fight is to love those who hate you, who wrong you, who steal from you, and bash you and say bad things about you. That's the good fight. The Bad fight is just to retaliate and hate them back.

Hope you learned something.