Strive to Stay on the Narrow Path of Love
David W Palmer
The Holy Spirit’s directives to “pursue love” and to “add” love give us the impression of it being an unquestionably essential, urgent, and exigent priority. This echoes the words of our Lord Jesus when he said:
(Luke 13:24–25 EMTV) “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, because many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. {25} When once the Master of the house has risen up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and answering He will say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from.’”
Here, our Lord uses the word “strive.” In the original language this means to give 100% of your attention, focus, and effort to your endeavor—like an athlete training for the Olympics. It means to enter a contest and to contend with an adversary in a grappling fight. This is like a wrestler in the gymnastic games, or like the believer in his wrestling match with our spiritual enemies:
(Ephesians 6:12 NKJV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Our murderous opponent is wrestling us, wanting to pin us down. One of his objectives is to completely extinguish the fire of our love. He wants it to grow cold; whereas the Holy Spirit wants us to pursue love, and to add it to every other important aspect as the ultimate priority of our Christian life. Remember, this is going to take 100% effort, focus, and attention. Let’s look at this struggle from a different translation of the Bible:
(Ephesians 6:10–12 MSG) And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels.
The precious Holy Spirit confirms that this takes a major effort:
(Hebrews 4:11 MKJV) Therefore let us labor to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of unbelief.
The enemies to our Christian life are like the two lines of assailants bordering the ancient “gauntlet.” To reach our objective, we have to run along this constricted “way” while they beat, buffet, and berate us—trying to wrestle the love from our lives:
(Matthew 7:14 DKJV) “How narrow is the gate, and constricted is the way, which leads to life; and there are few who find it.”
Today, I encourage you to pursue love with proactive priority. Ensure that your love for God and everyone else has not even the slightest hint of going off the boil. From what we have seen, our pursuit of love will be tested and opposed ruthlessly by our enemy. He hates God; he hates us; and he vehemently fights against pure love. Thankfully, we have warning of this in advance, and we have God’s full armor and shield with which to stand. We also have God’s own love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and we have the invincible weapon of God’s indomitable word.
(1 Peter 1:22 TLB) Now you can have real love for everyone because your souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love each other warmly, with all your hearts.
In concluding, let’s ask ourselves where and with whom has our love been cooled, quenched, extinguished, or frozen. Has the enemy wrestled from your grasp the love you once had; or has he defeated you in your race to access God’s love for others? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you. Today is the day to turn this around, and to again pursue love as a priority. Give it 100% focus, energy, and attention until it is again burning hot for G
