Soldiers of Christ

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2 Tim 2:3)

Young people seek adventure and will endure hardship for the thrill of a great experience. But somehow as we get older we become more concerned with our ease and comfort. When Paul writes this admonition to Timothy, Paul is old and in prison, enduring hardship for the sake of Christ. Timothy is young and living an adventurous life as an itinerant evangelist and church planter. Paul reminds Timothy that we are soldiers of Christ. Soldiers endure great hardship, but always for the sake of others. When the thrill is gone, when the path ahead leads to danger, the soldier endures and presses forward, because he has given his life to a cause greater than himself. When I let myself become absorbed in the pursuit of ease and comfort, I am devoting myself to a shallow and selfish cause. Jesus poured himself out for us, and Paul followed faithfully his example. I must do the same.

Keep on Praying

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. (Gen 25:21)

When we read about the lives of the patriarchs they seem so exciting and filled with miracles. And, of course, God did some amazing miracles in their lives. But the idea that their lives were an exciting pageant of miracle after miracle is an illusion. It only seems that way because all their long years are telescoped into a few chapters. This verse is in two sentences. Sentence 1: Isaac prays. Sentence 2: God answers. But in reality Isaac prayed for twenty long years that God would grant them children. He was forty when he married Rebekah and he was sixty when Jacob and Esau were born. Twenty years of prayer. But he had God’s promise to his father Abraham to cling to. God promised to make Abraham a great nation and told him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” (Gen 21:12) We have God’s promises, too, as we labor for years in prayer. But do we sometimes doubt? Do we get discouraged? I do! At such times let us remember the example of Isaac, dispatched so neatly here in two sentences. Let us remember his perseverance and God’s faithfulness. Scripture is full of those who persevered and lived to see God’s promise fulfilled. Thank you, Lord! I will always pray and not give up. (Lk 18:1)

School of Hard Knocks

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deut 8:3)

The latter half of this verse is famous because Jesus quoted it to the devil when he was tempted in the wilderness. But today it is the first half of the verse that caught my eye. To teach the Israelites this lesson he first had to humble them. God first caused them to hunger and only then did he send the manna. I am struck by the fact that he caused them to hunger. God uses our hardships to teach us, but he doesn’t necessarily just wait for a hardship to come. He sometimes brings hardship. He brings it not because he hates us, but because he loves us enough to want us to grow in our faith and character. I’ve said many times that most of the spiritual growth in my life has happened during the hard times. God’s plan for my life includes some hard times. Lord, thank you that, like a father who disciplines his son, you bring trials in my life to teach me. Like the Israelites may I learn humility and utter dependence on you. Amen.

To Be Found Faithful

Let love and faithfulness never leave you. (Pr 3:3a)

I want to be found faithful. So many times I am unfaithful. But I want to always choose God’s ways, always turn to him in trouble or temptation, and always believe in his power to persevere and overcome. Lord, help me to be true to you always. Amen.

Strong Resolve

Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. (Ps 119:5,8)

The psalmist longs to be obedient to God’s commands. Yet it is clear in v5 that he is not. Otherwise why long for it? But in v8 he doesn’t say, “I’ll try harder next time.” No, he makes an affirmative statement: “I will obey your decrees.” Sometimes I feel hypocritical making such statements because I know I’ll probably fall again. But I think having a strong resolve is important, as well as avoiding a defeatist attitude. When we stumble and fall we repent and get back up again, and immediately reaffirm our strong resolve: I will obey your decrees.

The Light of Dawn

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. (Ps 112:4)

In the hard times the light still dawns. I think sometimes we might not even see it though it is already there. The light of God’s favor is on us, but to our eyes it is still dark. We must remain faithful and continue to walk in righteousness, even when the world seems dark.

He Who Overcomes

To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with me on my throne. (Rev 3:21)

In these letters to the seven churches Christ continually promises a reward “to him who overcomes.” I wonder exactly what is meant by “overcome” here. I think it means living a life characterized by persevering through trials and resisting temptation. I think I see that “obedience” theme peeking through again. God is clearly making strong demands on us. He really expects us to live out our lives in a particular way, which doesn’t involve taking the easy road or doing whatever we feel like. Not that our salvation depends on it, but our reward does, not the least of which is the satisfaction of knowing that God is pleased with us. We were created for this. Nothing satisfies like living out the purpose for which God created us.