Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

On Broadway

    Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Mt.7:13-14).

Consider the world around you. Consider the way you see people living their lives in this world. Which road would you say that most people have chosen--the broad or the narrow? Jesus tells us that many choose the broad way and that few find the narrow. Consider the destination of the two roads. The narrow way leads to life. It is the way that leads to godliness, goodness and glory. It is the way that is found through choosing Christ and Christ-likeness in our daily lives. The broad way leads to destruction, death and Hell.
Can a person choose the narrow way yet remain living in the broad way? That may be like asking if a person can head north on a freeway while driving south, it's just not possible. A choice has to be made--will you go north or will you go south--you can't have it both ways. The person who attempts to do so may find themselves switching from southbound to northbound and back again. The result is that they really go nowhere but in circles. If they go in circles long enough they will find that they really do not know where they are headed. But Jesus is clear when he tells us that the broad way leads to destruction. A person cannot get on and off of the broad way and assume it will not affect him or her. The broad way is destructive, and it is playing with dynamite to even get on it--even for a quick look around.
If there was offered a choice of two lines--one that leads to life (i.e. Heaven) or one that leads to death (i.e. Hell)--which line would most people choose? How about most Christians, which would they choose? Maybe it's believed that they have already chosen the line that leads to life, after all, they are Christians--right?
The lost world around us it on a road that leads to Destruction. They live for self-satisfaction and self-gain, seeking to get the most for themselves out of this life: success, high paying jobs, big houses, nice cars and lots of money. If they are on a road that leads to Destruction, why do so many who call themselves Christians want to get in line behind them (or perhaps in front of them). It is a road that leads to destruction! So why do Christians want any part of it? Perhaps its for the same self-seeking, self-fulfilling reasons--we are unwilling to give up what we want out of this life. So what makes us any different from the lost world around us?
If you choose to live like the lost world, you might as well plan on dying like the lost world. You cannot travel south on a northbound road. You cannot have it both ways, you must make a choice.

    . . .choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15)

Modern Paraphrase:
. . .today you must choose whom you will serve; whether the gods of money, fame, power, success, self-satisfaction, self-desire or selfish gain which are the gods of those in whose land you dwell, or the God who is God, who is the God of love and self-sacrifice and mercy and truth. Who will you serve?

Let's pick the God who is God!

[Soldier4Christ]

Harvest Time

    Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest (Matthew 9:38).

   Is harvest time approaching? Are the fields beginning to ripen? Do we see in the people surrounding us, a people who are hungry for Truth and real and lasting answers? Some may say that the fields are always ripe and ready to be harvested. That this is an ongoing act of bringing lost souls to repentance. But could it be that it is more like the fields Jesus used in His illustration--that there is a season of harvest as well as a season of planting?
   The people of Jesus' day were looking for answers. They had tried their religion and many had tried other religions as well. They were a nation believing themselves to be God's chosen yet, they found themselves ruled by pagan idolaters. The many factions that made up their religious leadership seemed divided and unable to supply the masses with needed guidance and comfort. The people were simply out of answers, and therefore ripe for the harvest.
   Many examples throughout the Old Testament can be cited of times when the nation of Israel, God's Chosen, came to a desperate times and soon discovered that they were completely out of answers. It was then that they were ripe for God's harvest because they had come to the end of their own efforts, their own answers and the end of their pride. They came to a place where they realized they could do nothing in and of themselves and they finally understood their need for God.
   We see America a proud and arrogant people. Everyone has their own answers and no one else is permitted to impose their beliefs on another. Phrases like, "Look out for number one," are the order of the day, perpetuating ideologies of self-reliance, self-concern and selfish gain. The idea that "what's good for you might not be good for me," has penetrated Christian thought as many turn from Truth and reply to a brother's counsel with, "I'm just not convicted of that right now." It would seem that even the Churches are long from being ripe for God's picking.
   We should pray God loves us enough to allow us to come to the end of ourselves (I say this facetiously believing that He indeed loves us even more). When we as a nation run out of answers, become unable to be self-sustaining, and realize we have a need for God--then the fields will be ripe with harvest once more.
   Jesus had told us to watch the signs of the times and by this we would know when the coming of the Son of Man was near. The seasons change and we know what to expect as we see the signs of one season moving to another. The world was ripe for harvest when Jesus came into the earth--as it will also be when He returns. We should pray that God will help us to see the coming harvest, and we should most diligently pray that He will send laborers into the harvest.
   A plentiful harvest is near--just watch for the change of the seasons.

[Soldier4Christ]

Burdened With Externals

    Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light (Mt.11:28-30).

I come from a family of bowlers. I can remember sitting on the ball returns at my Grandfather's bowling alley at the age of three. My brother and I use to straddle the center hub of the circular ball return table and use it as a sit-n-spin. I don't remember how many people were involved in teaching me how to bowl, but by the age of twelve I had bowled a 245 due to the guidance of those who coached me. The things they had showed me to do stayed with me and became a natural part of my bowling style. But the most important thing I have learned is that one must always keep his eye on the mark.
There are so many variables involved in bowling: speed, stance, approach, armswing, etc. And it is amazing how if one area becomes difficult to manage it quickly effects every part of the workings. What's more, it would seem at times that the bowler would have completely forgotten how to do a particular part of what was once routine, practically having to learn it all over again. Only to find out that it was not really forgotten but instead, had become the center of focus when it should have been kept in focus in the back of the mind.
There are many elements to the Christian life. We go to church, read our Bible, pray, perhaps serve in the Church in some fashion, or witness or go to visitation. We continue to increase awareness of the do's we should do, while at the same time avoiding the dont's. If one was to step back and look at all that must be done and all that must be avoided, he might just become exhausted trying to keep a handle on all of it. There are so many things to keep in mind, and if we are not careful--we will.
That is to say this: as much as it is important to do what is right and avoid what is wrong, if we put those things in the forefront of our thoughts, thereby making them our focus, we can easily become so distracted by our good intentions that we loose sight of our mark. Simply put, if our focus is on the do's and don'ts, then Christ (our mark) becomes a blur and He might even escape our sight completely.
The Christian life that is focused on all the do's and don'ts becomes cumbersome and virtually impossible to live. In bowling I remember times when I was so focused on my mark that everything else fell into place. As Christians, among all of the "we need to's" and the "stay away from's," we need to do only one thing--keep our focus on our mark who is Jesus. As we do we will see everything else become a blur compared to Him, and we will notice our Christian life become a joy rather than a burden as everything else starts falling into place.

    Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. . .(Heb.12:2)

[Soldier4Christ]

To Go Our Separate Ways

    Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus (Acts 15:36-39).

When a church comes to a fork in the road, and half of the body wants to choose one direction while the other half the other, what can be done? What would you say is the usual result? Do we see a church who will defy the statistics and find a way to work together and choose God's direction for them? Or do we see a church who is destined to split as they choose opposing corners, preparing to defend their rights and their viewpoints?
Perhaps the fork in the road is not so much a fork as it is a path that slowly begins to become wider and wider until one day the path splits. Perhaps everyone seems to be going the same direction until one day they realize they have been heading close to the same direction, but having enough difference to become evident only after a long term. Like two ships that leave the same port; one maintaining a course of 75 degrees, while the other maintains a course of 76 degrees. They will appear at first to be heading the same way, but the further they go the greater the distance becomes between them.
Such are churches who seemingly have a oneness of heart, a unity of mind, until one day the contention rises to the surface as members begin to voice that they "just don't like the way the church is headed." Then comes the murmuring and complaining, and eventually harsh words behind the backs of members who were once adored. Then come the threats to leave the church if things do not return to the way they once were--or at least to the way someone has determined they want it to be.
There can be many reasons behind such contentions. One such as false doctrines being proclaimed would seem a necessary reason to voice concern. Yet, consider the more probable causes of church dissension: division over what color of carpet to put in the sanctuary, what hymnal to sing from, how songs are sung, raising hands, no raising hands, how to do church fund raisers and how the church money is spent. Would that it were that a church be divided over such a noble cause as standing up for God's truth in the congregation, rather than the petty bickering that demonstrates nothing more than childish attitudes and spoiled brat behavior.
James asks, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. . ." (4:1-2). Truth be known, most of the contentions and divisions arise from selfish want. We hear people stating their view points with phrases beginning and ending with the "I"--"I think we should' or "I think we shouldn't" or "I just don't like it" If we are a people led by God then their is no place for the wants of the "I". If we are a people led by God then we should be stating our viewpoints beginning with a different kind of "i"--one that is submissive to God's desires rather than the desires of self. "i believe God wants" or "i believe we should seek God and find out His direction" are the statements that should come from the mouths of those who claim to follow Christ.
We need to be honest before ourselves, our churches and our God. If we are dissatisfied with the way things are going in church, we must ask ourselves, "Do I feel this way because I feel what God wants is not being accomplished, or is it because what I want is not being done?" And if we are unwilling to ask the question--the answer is already apparent.

[Soldier4Christ]

    Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7).

If you read the story of Jacob, which begins in Genesis 25, you will find the story of one who was a deceiver, as well as the story of one deceived. You probably remember the story of how Jacob covered himself with goatskins, dressed in Esau's cloths and went in to his blind father's tent to receive the blessing that belonged to Esau. And how by doing so he was given rights to the firstborn's inheritance by fooling his father.
You may also recall another time of Jacob's life when he worked for Laban seven years in order to marry Laban's youngest daughter, Rachel. Yet, when he had completed his side of the agreement, Laban fooled Jacob and married him to his oldest daughter, Leah.
Jacob's name itself means, "he grasps the heel," or figuratively, "he deceives." How fitting that when Jacob came to the place in his life that he would wrestle with God, that his name would be changed. For after his encounter with God, no longer would he be known as one who deceives but instead, "one who struggles with God." which is the name, "Israel."
Jacob was deceived in both instances because of his wants. He first wanted his brother's birthright, and he secondly wanted Rachel for his wife. The first instance led him to be blinded by his desires so that he could deceive his own father. The second instance led him to be blinded by his desires so that he was easily deceived. In both cases, the one who remained deceived the greatest was Jacob. He had thought he could have what he wanted, do what he wanted to get it, and somehow escape unscathed. But while he ran from the truth he eventually ran right into it--and as a result, God changed him forever.
Do we play the same deceiving hide and seek games with God? Are there ever things that we want bad enough to ignore the truth, or possibly ignore God? Perhaps we even can cleverly convince ourselves that what we want is in fact within God's will for us. After all, "He wants us to have nice things," doesn't He. I mean, "He won't mind if we do certain things in moderation,"--will He?
If we think we can chase down our wants and remain in God's will, we're only fooling ourselves. And if we think that we can do some things (since we're adults) and remain unaffected, we are not being very honest with ourselves. For if we were, we would see that we are just trying to fulfill selfish desires and are not really interested in the consequences--no matter how inconsequential they may seem. Let us determine to take all of our times we say, "I think its OK with God if. . ." and bring those times before God to ask Him what is really OK with Him. If we have been deceiving ourselves we will probably not want to do that, or we might excuse our behavior and see no point in seeking God regarding it.
But as the verse says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." We cannot go on fooling ourselves forever. And no matter how hard we try we will never outrun the truth. Jacob's encounter with God taught him not to run--God dislocated Jacob's hip in the incident. What will be necessary for God to do with each of us when we go on fooling ourselves?
When we encounter God, we will be changed. For God is not raising His children up to be fools.

[Soldier4Christ]

Watch And Pray

    Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Mt.26:41).

It was the end of a long hard day. A day that, for the disciples, had been filled with words and acts difficult for them to internalize. Jesus was preparing to face the crucifixion and had spent the day preparing his disciples for what they would witness in the forthcoming hours. Now, at Gathsemane, Jesus had gone on a little ways ahead of His disciples to be alone with God. He had instructed His disciples to "keep watch" with Him. But they were exhausted and when Jesus returned He found them asleep. "Watch and pray," He told them, "so that you will not fall into temptation." He continued, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
We face much uncertainty in our world today. Taking a good look around reveals a people who are trying one thing after another to find satisfaction in this life. It seems so many want whatever way is the easiest--the least difficult to obtain. If we are headed on a course that will require day in and day out discipline and hard work, most of us become weary and choose a different course, or just give up. Consider how many diets are blown, and exercise routines abandoned.
Avoiding the easy way becomes a job within itself. We naturally lean toward doing what is easiest, and therefore it takes real effort just to choose a direction that will be the most beneficial--the one with the best and the most lasting results.
Our walk with God is a long and sometimes difficult road. It requires from us a daily decision to follow Him. It requires us to become disciplined in how we live each day of our lives. We must exercise our spiritual bodies, through daily prayer and Bible study, so that we will be alert and ready to meet the challenges of each day in a manner that is Christ-like rather than worldly. And though there are times when we feel weak and weary, we must press on so that we do not fall asleep spiritually, and lose sight of the reality around us.
Seared consciences and desensitized hearts render us helpless to come to the aid of a world that is headed for hell. We see the pain and agony of others who fall prey to the evil in this world, and we are faced with an internal personal crisis of sorts--we must either choose to be concerned and be moved to prayer or action or even just to care; or we must choose to be further numbed so that what we have witnessed will not bring any personal discomfort. We can choose to come to the aid of another, a group or perhaps a nation--praying for them and ministering to their need--taking the part of the good Samaritan; or we can walk around the problems and hope that we can soon forget what we have witnessed so that we will not lose any sleep.
The boozier on the streets carries a bottle that holds for him a season of forgetting. He finds, for a time, comfort in the middle of his sorrow. What difference is there between us (Christians), and him, if we spend more time trying to avoid the world than looking at it. We spend time and energy finding ways to entertain ourselves: TV, movies, theme-parks, zoos. . . and all the while we hope to find, for a time, comfort in the middle of sorrow--a way to forget the bad and embrace thoughts easier to live with--thoughts that won't keep us up at night.
Jesus said, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." The truth is not easy to look at. It's like opening your eyes to a bright light after being asleep in a dark room for a number of hours--it hurts at first, but everything eventually becomes clear. We then make sense of our surroundings and even determine how to move within them. It is no use to shut our eyes to what we see and hope that when we open them again that everything will be different.

[Soldier4Christ]

Letters

    You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Cor.3:3).

These words were written nearly 2000 years ago as a letter to the church at Corinth. They have since become part of the greatest written letter that we have ever known--the Bible. The Bible is a treasure chest for those who will open it up to discover what's inside. It is a letter from the Living God to His children to help them to handle life from day to day, to give them direction in a world that has lost its way and to instruct them in righteousness while they live surrounded by evil. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that "All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." The scripture is God's love letter to us, given to encourage, edify, strengthen, lead and instruct. And as great as that letter is, no grander a letter is there than the living letters that are still being written today.
   It has been said, "I would rather see a sermon, than to hear one anytime." It has also been said that "We may be the only Bible many people ever read." Many groups have been formed to take Bibles to all the world. Groups such as the Gideons have been quite successful in getting Bibles to many people. Just count up how many times you have seen a Bible "Placed here by the Gideons" in a hotel room somewhere. Now consider the number of letters written "on tablets of human hearts." How many walking testaments of our Lord are there who have been "written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God?"
   Compare the number of times you have seen a Gideon Bible with the number of times you have seen the walking testaments. Which number is the greater?
   We are to be God's love letter to the world. If we allow Him to use us as such, we as God's letters will be scattered across the face of the earth--a feat the Gideons would applaud. No shipping or handling fees. No fund raisers to buy more Bibles to ship. Instead the letters of God would be placed by the One who wrote them and in such a way that would impact the world in one massive sweep.
   Open up the Bible and what do you see? You will see Words written through men by the Spirit of God to lead, instruct and strengthen. They are Words that are set apart from any other words in any other book. They are Words that draw attention to the God who brought them to be. If we then are God's letters to this world, should we be any less? Shouldn't we be seen as ones who know the Way, and therefore draw others to follow? Shouldn't we also be ones who can demonstrate the use of sound wisdom within the foolishness of this world, or be the ones who can encourage, strengthen and edify those around us? Shouldn't we be set apart and different from others? And shouldn't we, as God's letters, draw attention to the God who brought us to be?
   If we are letters to those around us, what kind of letters are we? Are we love letters from a Gracious God, written to draw people to Him? Or are we letters so filled with stories about personal desires and achievements that all anyone who reads us will ever see is us?

   Who's letter are you? As people read you today, who do they see? If they see only you how will they ever see God and how will they ever be drawn to Him and find Life everlasting?

[Soldier4Christ]

In Jesus Name

Read John 15:9-17

    You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name (John 15:16).

What does it mean to ask something, "In Jesus' name?" To most of us today, we hear these words tacked onto the end of a prayer though we may be uncertain as to why. To some it is a way to keep in mind who's will we are praying--God's, not our own. To some it is a way to attach the power of God to the words of man. To others it is more like the magic words that will make what they ask come true, and still others see it as a way to let everyone know they are done praying--like the period at the end of a sentence. And for some people, it is simply something they have always done. But what could Jesus be telling us when he says, "the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name?"
To do anything in the name of someone else was to do it as a representative of that person. The one who would go in the name of another, did not go as himself, but as if he was the one he went in the name of. That is not to say that he pretended to be someone he was not--but that he did not represent his own concerns, ideas, desires. . . but he represented the concerns, etc., of the one in who's name he went.
To pray in Jesus' name means that we come before God in prayer as a representative of Christ. That is, we determine the will of He that has sent us (Jesus), and we carry the concerns of that will to the Father. This may be with regard to our lives, the lives of others, or something else that the Spirit would move us to pray for. It is a method of looking at what we need to pray about and then doing it the way that Christ would do it if He Himself were speaking the words, but using our lips.
Praying in Jesus' name leaves little room for selfish motivations and godless desires. Taking our concerns before the Lord in the likeness of Christ holds us accountable to God and to ourselves--to ensure that we are praying the will of God rather than our own will.
This is not to say that we cannot take even our smallest concerns before the Lord in Jesus' name. On the contrary, He wants us to share every aspect of our lives with Him, therefore, this too is in His will. And doing so in a Christ-like manner will help us to be honest with how we speak our needs, feelings or wants. It also helps us to weigh every part of our lives beside the Holy Will of God. This helps us to walk in the spirit powerfully, so that we can stop being deceived by the desires of the flesh.
As we go before God as a representative of Christ we express His concerns. It is His will for us to take the concerns of this world before God in Jesus' name because He is concerned for the world. It is His will for us to take the concerns of friends, loved-ones and communities before God in Jesus' name because He is also concerned about the part of the world that is closest to us. And it is His will for us to take the smallest of our concerns before God in Jesus' name because He is concerned about everything in each of our lives. In this, we represent Christ because He desires to represent us. But His representation is true and for the best good of all concerned, whereas if we represent self, our representation can be tainted by selfish desire.
As we represent Christ, He will represent us. As we concern ourselves with His will, He will concern Himself with our needs. And in coming before God in Jesus' name, we join with Christ in His work and His desires for the world, our communities, our families and even the smallest of our personal needs.
So let us go on ending our prayers with the words, "In Jesus name." Let us do it because it sounds right, and because it seems to attach the power of God to the words of man, and because it puts us in mind of who's will we are to be praying. For it is the perfect period to the prayer, when all that was said before it was said in the likeness and character of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

In Spirit And In Truth

    Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father is spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth (Jn.4:23-24).

What is worship? Is it some fanatical display designed to peak the awareness of God through an emotional outpour? Is it an organized meeting which draws our attention toward God through structure and deliberate methods? Perhaps it is a time that an individual sets aside each day to read the Bible and to pray. In truth, it is none of these, because each can be done completely within the flesh and may never draw our attentions toward God, and because each were described only in the perspective of what can be seen with human eyes. True worship cannot be seen, due to the nature of true worship being something that is done in the spirit. What can be seen with the eye is the fruit of worship--physical expressions of inward events.
Unfortunately worship, like so many other things, is something that we seem to misunderstand unless we can see some tangible evidence that it exists. So it becomes easier to cut to the chase and skip the worship "in spirit and in truth" all together. If certain physical expressions are attached to the exercise of worship then why not take short cuts to get the results we are LOOKING for? This kind of thinking can motivate large numbers of people to "do" worship in the flesh without ever connecting with God in the spirit. We wind up putting the proverbial cart before the horse--as though our worshipful actions will invoke the Holy Spirit to come upon us. When in truth, it is as we come in contact with the Spirit that He invokes within us a response that may include outward expressions. And those expression that may not fit into our preconceived ideas of what outward worship should LOOK like.
If we need to SEE outward expressions so that we can determine that we have truly worshipped, then we have missed the point. For in so doing, we go into worship more concerned with what we will do to worship, than Whom we will be worshipping. Our contentment then does not rest in whether or not we meet God, but in whether or not our actions to worship meet our individual, or collective, approval.
Some say that true worship leads to physical manifestations such as speaking in tongues, raising hands or being so overcome by the Spirit that one would grow weak in the knees and fall to the ground. Some say that true worship does not include any of that, but that it is something that is done deliberately and is well organized because, "God is not the author of confusion." Yet in both cases, what is failed to seen is that true worship is not seen--it is a matter of the heart. And if it is seen only in terms of what can be seen, then it is not seen at all. For we are to worship in "spirit and in truth," not in "sight and acceptable practices." We cannot measure what takes place in the spirit by what is seen, but we can most certainly, and often do, quench it.

    1 Thessalonians 5:19:
    Quench not the Spirit (KJV). Do not put out the Spirit's fire (NIV).

[Soldier4Christ]

Draw Near to God

    "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:.

Monday
Strengthened by the words of Sunday morning,
guided by the thoughts of yesterday,
we often find our greatest expectations,
get lost within the passing of a day.

"God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (Jn.4:24). To worship God is to draw near to Him. "There is a way that seems right to a man," yet many of our ways are so far away from the right ways that though we follow the path with the best intentions, we miss the road-signs that tell us we're going the wrong way. Drawing near to God is an act of relationship, not religion. All of the quiet times in the world will be useless if there is an absence of focus on God.
True, there are benefits from reading the Bible and praying at any time. These righteous acts will put us in mind of heavenly matters in an earthly realm. But if the righteous acts become the focus over God then what we do is seldom empowered by God, and often initiated by human effort.
We can take what we hear in sermons or in Sunday school, and we can add what we read each day from God's Word, and still come up short to get what we need to get us through the day, let alone an entire week. In fact, a person could fill all of their waking hours with Christian music, Bible reading, recorded sermons and prayer, and still feel empty and dry. It may be a person that could practically quote the entire Bible, chapter and verse, yet he could still have a look of defeatedness in his eyes.
I have often heard others say (and I have said it myself) that they were going through a dry time--a time when it did not matter what they did, they just could not seem to get anything out of their quiet times and Bible readings. They mention that their prayers just seem to be going into the air, and that it does not seem like there is any kind of connection with God. I personally do not know a Christian who has not been through such a time, but I do know that the Scripture says, "Draw near to God, and He WILL draw near to you." And we may do just that and still not feel the way we think that we should. But I once heard someone say, "Some days I don't feel much like a Christian, but that does not change the fact that I am a Christian."
But dry times can come to earlier ends when we deliberately shift our focus off of the cares of this life and on to Christ. Music, Bible reading, sermons and prayer are more easily accomplished and carried out by a soul that has first set their eyes upon the Lord. As we draw near to God we come closer to His Peace in the midst of difficult circumstances. We come closer to His Joy in the midst of sorrow. We come closer to the Person of the Heavenly Father and discover what it means to be children of God.
When we enter our quiet times of devotion and Bible reading, we should do what is necessary to first shift our focus to our Lord. To begin with, we can ask Him to help us to do so. We can also listen to music or reflect on poetry about God or meditate on a verse of scripture to help us draw near to Him. Whatever we do it should be something that speaks about God's person and draws us to consider Him for who He is. This will enable us to better focus on Him throughout the day. This will better enable us to draw near to God, and this will better enable us to rise above religious rhetoric, and enjoy our Christianity by clinging to God in a daily, thriving relationship.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Message Received

    Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

From church to church, from Sunday to Sunday, there is a message that is communicated to congregating Christians and visitors alike. What that message is may vary depending upon the denomination, creed, pastor and people. Yet, within all, there is a line that can often be drawn. It is a line that separates the message of God from the message of man. And to our loss we may discover that, regardless of sermon and song, the message that is often received is one of "Be like us," rather than, "Be like Christ."
There are many people who do not go to church. If asked why, most often the reply has something to do with the people in the church, rather that the words that come from the pulpit. We have all heard and more than likely believe that, "Actions speak louder than words." So if it were that a church had to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ without a word, what would it be saying? Do the nonverbal communications of a Sunday morning congregation express the love of Christ through unconditional love, or the peace of God by demonstrating a faith that reaches beyond life's circumstances? Does the congregation, without a word, tell an onlooker that what God has said is true and that He can help them to live an abundant life in the midst of a lost and confused world? Perhaps our message is one of struggle more than one of strength, one of defeatedness more than one of victory. If we sing "Oh victory in Jesus" yet we look beaten by the world, who then have we demonstrated has victory over us?
Nevertheless, we cling to our beliefs and promote our ideologies with incongruency and contradiction. Not that it is wrong to cling to or to promote, but that this cannot be done in word alone, for we know what the scripture says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22).
Relying on words alone to testify to a lost world will most often leave people looking for answers. They hear our words about the "Power in the blood" and they begin to see a glimmer of hope for themselves. Then they look into our anemic lifestyles and turn away in disappointment, continuing their search for what can bring them what they need to fill the void in their hearts.
Is the message of the Church, "Be like us?" Do people feel that joining a church means that they will be expected to act and do as those within its congregation? If so, the wrong message is getting across and what they are hearing is that if they want to be holy then they need to heed our creed--if they want to be saved then they must surrender what they feel, think and do and become like us. Rather than seeing that they can take the yoke of Christ which is easy, and take Christ's burden which is light; they see that they must take on the heavy burdens of religious do's and don'ts, and therefore feel as though they are giving up life, rather than finding it.
But if the message of the Church is, "Be like Christ," then they are free to discover who Christ is in them. They are free to come to Him just as they are and to be accepted with unconditional love, and they are free to give up their lives in the world so that they can find true life in Christ. This message will help them to find Christ before Christianity, and it will enable them to bear spiritual fruit as a result of Christ dwelling within them, not as a result of group pressure within a congregation, telling them to do this or that.
Belief in the person of Christ is not justified by consensus of the majority, it is justified as it is expressed and lived out in the lives of those who follow Him.
What message do we want to communicate? To say "Be like us" is easy, as it sets the standard based upon what we have done with what Christ has given us. But to say "Be like Christ," sets a higher standard that requires us not to rest within our beliefs, but to see them worked out in our lives and lifestyles so that the message that is seen by onlookers, is the same as the one that is heard.

[Soldier4Christ]

Consider the Cross

    And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me (Mt.10:38).

Consider the cross. It was once a symbol of death, but now a symbol of beauty to adorn wearers of necklaces, earrings, and the like. The cross was a symbol of the end--to take up the cross was to walk a road of hopelessness and helplessness. It once evoked feelings of dread and despair in the hearts of those who lived in the time of Roman crucifixions. But it now evokes thoughts and feelings of pleasantry as one gazes upon its aesthetic qualities or craftsmanship. And yet there are those who still look upon it today with an entirely different outlook. To them it is a symbol of life through the death of one, it is a symbol of hope and new beginning and it is a symbol of the manifest love of a Heavenly Father for his children. Within these sentiments we find the true meaning of the cross.
During this season, we take a closer look at the cross. We consider what it meant to the people of the time and what it means to us today. And we consider what it meant to Christ and to His Father. We remember how Christ took up a cross, and willingly gave up His life so that many others could find life. Christ, "who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb.12:2). And we consider how "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor.5:21).
We consider "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 Jn.3:1). And how great a love this is, for "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn.15:13). And "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom.5:7-8). And "Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren" (1Jn.3:16).
So now let us consider the cross in our own lives today and every day. How Christ says to us, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Lk.9:23-25). Therefore we do not look at the cross to see Jesus alone, but to see that we should say even as Paul, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal.2:20).
The world once looked upon the cross as a symbol of suffering and shame. Much of the world around us today looks upon it as a religious icon without considering its implications, or they simply see it as an adornment worn on necklaces and the like--seeing it as not much different than a peace symbol. And though it invokes thoughts of Christ's sacrifice and death in the hearts of Christ's followers, it equally carries a meaning of self-death and self-sacrifice in the hearts of those who will follow Christ each day--giving up rights to personal desires and wants in this lifetime.
Consider the cross. How far will you carry it? How willing are you to die to self and personal desires so that you can live to Christ? Will you say as Paul, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil.1:21). Will you forfeit your rights to a life of your choice on this earth so that God's glory may be manifested in Heaven? Remember once again Christ's words, "whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?"
It was necessary that Christ should die that others, through Him, might live; and it is necessary for us to die to self if we want to see a dying world find life in Christ through us.

    And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me (Mt.10:38).

[Soldier4Christ]

Twisted Together, A Crown of Thorns

    They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again (Mt.27:28-30).

He wore a crown made of thorns. Thorns that came into this world as a result of sin. They are the very essence of burden, struggle and cumbersome things. God said to Adam after he had sinned, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food" (Gen3:17-19). As a result of man deciding to provide for himself what he desired, and in spite of God's warning, mankind would now reap what was sown--they would learn the burden and struggle of being one's own god. They would learn what it meant to depend upon one's own decisions outside of God's will--it would be a path filled with troubles and pain. One in which they would still be able to make ends meet, but would never accomplish what was once accomplished when working within God's blessing and His will.
The thorns Christ bore represent the cares of this life. In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells us, "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful" (Mt.13:22). These are those who have heard the truth, and even some who understand that Jesus came to set us free from such worries, yet they cannot seem to let go of being their own god. They still feel they must take matters into their own hands in such a way that "the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke" the truth that God has placed in them. And so they are still entangled in the twisted thorns from which Christ has set them free.
In the Garden (at the time of sin), and in life today we can see the entanglement of the thorns. It comes in the form of thoughts that tell us that there is something else we must have to live in order to be content, regardless of what God tells us we need. For Adam and Eve, it was the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; for us it could be anything we feel we need to be happy, content and secure. The result is a never-ending struggle to attain. Just as Adam struggled to bring his crops from the ground, so we today still struggle with the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of riches. And we convince ourselves we are doing right--even to the point that we become so concerned with rent, mortgages and bills that the word of truth that God has placed in each of us is choked so that the truth is not seen in us. Therefore, we who claim victory in Jesus, appear to the lost world around us to be struggling even as they are with the worries and cares of this life. And in so doing, we exchange a crown of glory, for one of thorns--making Christ's sacrifice (wearing the thorns for us) of no effect.
The worries of this life are pressing. They will be thorns if they become the focus. Christ set us free from the worries of this life so that we can rejoice in our freedom to walk with God once more. Don't let the everyday grind become your god. God is God. And a mind that is worried about life, cannot be focused on the Life which is Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

Let Your Light Shine

    You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Mt.5:14-16).

There is no question--"You are the light of the world." Jesus did not say "you might be the light of the world," or "you are the light of the world one day--but maybe not the next." As a follower of Jesus Christ, a believer and disciple of His teachings, you are the light of the world. To be a Christian means to be light--the two cannot be separated. But even as a light can be dimmed or blocked or covered, so also our light can be hidden from the view of others and even ourselves. This is seldom a thing that occurs overnight, otherwise one might think the light was never there to begin with. Instead it is a process that occurs over time and often goes unnoticed until the light inside becomes so dim that one suddenly realizes how far he has backslid away from the light.
Jesus instructs, "let your light shine before men." Although we are the light of the world, we must do what is necessary to let our light shine. The first thing we must do is to keep the light fueled. A flame will not burn if there is nothing feeding it. Our source of fuel is Christ Himself, for He is the true Light and He is the Life of the light that He has placed within us. We must remain in Him if we are to be seen as a part of Him. Jesus said, "apart from me, you can do nothing" (Jn.15:5). Spending time with Christ is an absolute essential for letting our light shine. Worship, Bible study (with application), prayer, service and music are a few of the ways that we can draw near to Christ and in so doing keep our light fueled.
Even as we must remain within Christ who fuels our light, we must avoid whatever would extinguish our light. No one tries to light a candle and hold it under water if they want the light to continue to shine. Even so, if we truly want our lights to shine then we are not going to plunge ourselves into a lifestyle that is not characteristic of Christ. The familiar words, "What would Jesus do?" should help us here. We must avoid godlessness, godless thoughts and godless activities if our light is to shine.
More subtle are the "light dimmers" that are the cares of this life that steal our focus away from Christ. Day to day worries, frustrations, disappointments, wants, needs, etc. are the slow poisons that quench the light little by little, until we wake up one day and wonder where the joy of being a child of God went.
Consider this: whatever you look at is reflected in our eyes. When looking into the eyes of someone who is looking at you, you can see your reflection in their eyes. In another sense, if your eyes are focused on Christ, then Christ will be seen in you. If your eyes are focused on your self, then all that will be seen by others is another someone who is "looking out for number one." And if your eyes are focused on your troubles then all that will be seen in you is someone who is troubled. The cares of this age: desires, wants, relationships, careers, money and just getting by, can easily become the things that cover the light of Christ in each of us. They will steal our focus and draw us to pay more attention to them than we do to Christ. They will push Christ out of our focus so much that we can no longer see Him through the crowd of our concerns. We must realize that Christ cannot be seen in someone who cannot see Him. We must do what is necessary to allow our lights to shine, so that others will see God in us and be drawn to Him to find for themselves the Light that is Life.

    The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Mt.6:22-23).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sacrificial Family

    When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11).

It has been reported that fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. Domestic violence in the form of physical and verbal abuse escalates. Runaways, teenage pregnancies, adolescent suicides, substance abuse. . .the list goes on. People begin building families with high ideals and glorious visions of the perfect family. A man and a women profess and undying love--'til death do they part--only to wake up to a cold, hard reality of life and the work that is involved in building a new life with another. And so what began as a dream begins to seem more like a nightmare, and everyone involved takes a beating of sorts.
There is a common belief of our culture that "You can have it all!" An extreme (and I mean extreme) emphasis is placed upon what the individual can get out of life. It is taught to us at the time we are children, and is carried within us into our adult years. It is the mentality that "I should be able to have what I want," or "Don't I have the right to be happy?" But it is a subtle lie straight from hell. It deceives us and holds us prisoner to a childish, selfish way of thinking, keeping us from really ever growing up. Instead of maturing toward ideals that include selflessness, sacrifice and commitment, our culture has been impregnated with beliefs that stem from self-centeredness, greed and deceit.
The mentality of "I deserve" this or that has crept in and great expectations are being placed on the others to fulfill the desires and dreams of the self. And when the other person cannot live up to those expectations, the mentality shifts from "I deserve this" to "I deserve better."
Consider the modern American family. Each person is so busy with his or her own thing that they seldom have any time for anyone else. Are the things of our lives more important to us than the people in our lives? It would certainly appear so to a child or spouse who is dropped further and further on one person's list of priorities. It may be completely unintentional, but if not kept in check, all the things we "have to do" will crowd out the people we have swore to love.
Once the time factor is conquered, that is to say, once we get to where we determine that people are far more important than all the things we think must be done, then we face a greater challenge. We must characterize the love of Christ for each other by giving up the rights of the self. We have to drop the ideals of "I deserve" and begin to say "How can I serve?"
The sacrificial family is one that looks out for the interest of the others more than the interests of the self. It is one where members are not burdened by what others expect them to be, but where they are loved for who they are, and where they are given time to mature and become what God would have them to be. It is one where children are nurtured, taught and understood. And it is one where parents have grown up and taken responsibility for their decisions, and have abandoned childish and self-serving thoughts, and realize they must live in reality with real and flawed human beings, rather than living in a fantasy where everyone is exactly as they would have them to be.
There are many troubles in the family today. Yet I am confident that if we sought to become as Christ within our families, extending a sacrificial love to each other, then we would see families come together once more. It's time we grow up and stop fighting, and stop splitting our families because we cannot have everything the way we want it.

    When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11).