1 John 3:8 He that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. When I read the contrast of these two, I think of The Lord of the Rings. There are two warring sides which end in a great battle. In the mean time, both are doing what they do. The devil has rebellion in his nature. Rebellion against God. Everything about him in antiGod. Just as God seeks to redeem and heal, the devil seeks to destroy and maim. Satan showed up and influenced the first couple. Their sin is passed down. The destruction and misery doesn’t stop. Jesus came and broke the power of sin and death. He is drawing people to Himself. How does Jesus destroy the devil’s work? God is ever seeking to draw us to Him. It’s as if we are connected to Him by a 1,000 threads. All throughout our day, He draws us. Nature testifies of Him. Through Human interaction, He calls us. We can respond to Him or we can break one thread. A lifetime of rejection can leave no connection to God. It’s like a cosmic tug of war between Jesus and the devil. When we accept Christ, we are reconciled to Him. We pass from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light(Collosians 1:13). Young people respond to God more readily, as they haven’t established a habit of rejection. It’s painful to do this. They feel it more. Many adults have been saying no to God for years and they are calloused to Him. It takes something tragic to get their attention. Jesus is seeking to destroy the works of the devil. He does this by drawing us to Him. Healing the wounds the devil has inflicted on us. By healing us, He is destroying the devil’s work. The contrast is fascinating. As we respond to Christ, He not only heals us, but He uses us to heal others. We join His healing work by destroying the devil’s work. We become a demolition team. No wonder the devil hates it when one comes to Christ. He’s lost a slave and gained an enemy. Lord, thank You that You use us to heal, thus destroy the devil’s works. Help us to be willing servants. Thank You for the healing work You’ve done in us.