Read: 2 Timothy
2:1-5
Thou
therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
It is
always inspiring to read the stories about George Washington and his troops as
they spent the winter of 1778 at Valley Forge. They endured tremendous physical
hardship at a time when they could have been at home tending to their families
and their farms and enjoying the comforts of home. Instead, because they had a
cause they believed in, they struggled through the difficulties and became
victorious on the other side. They were rewarded with the blessings of freedom
and with the knowledge that they had the support of a nation who was grateful
for their sacrifice.
As Christian soldiers in His service, God
expects no less from us. Sure, we may have to endure the ridicule of those who
wish to suppress Christianity. We may have to withstand the mocking of the
crowd whose desire is to extinguish the name of Christ. We may be called upon
to experience the laughter of a humanity who does not understand the
convictions and standards we are compelled to uphold. We may meet with the
scorn of a world who thinks that our faith is in vain. But the cause for which
we endure those things is so much greater than ourselves. The men at Valley
Forge endured because they knew that what they were fighting for was so much
bigger than the trifles they would have to endure during that winter. They were
fighting for freedom, something that could not be measured in terms of hardships.
They were fighting for a way of life for their children and their children’s
children, and they knew that they must endure or lose everything they had
dreamed of having when the conflict began.
There is so much at stake for the
soldiers of Jesus Christ. If we let down our guard and allow a little cold to
keep us from church; if we allow a little disappointment to turn us against our
Commander-in-Chief; if we allow the advances of the enemy to discourage us from
fighting on for what is right; if we desert and run to the side of the enemy,
then one day this world may know nothing of the very thing for which we are
fighting – Christianity. The rewards we gain make it far more worth it to
endure and have to struggle than to roll over and lose the fight.
Quote
of the day: “Don’t pray for an easy life, pray to be a stronger person.”
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