Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:1-4)
Today's Morsel: Every so often my mind will go back to my military days, and I begin to think of some of the intense training that I had to endure to be called a good soldier. (When people ask me about some of the medals I earned while in the military, I will tell them that I got certain ones for being a road guard or pulling Kitchen Police (KP) - Humor). We were required to do 25-mile forced marches. Stand guard and sleep on the ground in the cold and snow of Germany. Endure the sweltering heat in the triple canopy jungles of Viet Nam. I have endured sand storms and the intense heat of Saudi Arabia; stayed up three or four days with limited sleep to get the mission done. These are are just a few of the things done to in being a good soldier. All this to please those who chose me to be a soldier. But when we turn to the church, many do not have that same commitment and dedication to endure. Many join, but soon go AWOL or want out. Many will quit and walk away because they see it as being too hard. When in reality, the church is easy, they just make it hard. I was told from the time that I enlisted in the military, that I was a soldier 24-hours a day and that my actions, conduct, dress and appearance, behavior, activities and manners, not only reflected upon me as a soldier, but they also reflected upon the organization of which I was a part of. When we become born again Christians, Jesus chooses us to be on His team, a part of His organization. Therefore, we must learn how to conduct ourselves accordingly, as we are now His representatives. Paul calls us ambassadors for Christ. When we understand who we are and to what we belong, we should do nothing to bring about reproach against that to which we belong. We need to learn to endure hardness as good soldiers, soldiers for Jesus Christ.
Sing: I'm a soldier, in God's Army, and I'm fighting, I'm claiming victory. I will not give up, I will not turn around, I'm a soldier marching heaven bound.
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