Good morning all! Father, we pray that You give us the strength to live this life as a faithful witness of Your word. We know that You alone provide us with the strength to live this life through all the ups and downs we face. And through it all Lord, help us to remain true to You and to be Your soldier always, Amen. Remember the scene in a “few good men” when the soldiers were asked why they gave Private Santiago a code red? To train him sir! Train him to do what? Follow the code…unit, corps, God, country! Are you a good soldier?
2Ti 2:1 KJV – Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Because you are My son, you have the SAME strength of Grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 2:2 KJV – 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.
And the witness I have been to many, commit to others that are in the faith so they also will live by the grace of Jesus.
2Ti 2:3 KJV – Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
It’s this strength that will enable you to endure hard times, as a GOOD soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 KJV – 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.
Anyone that fights for faith will NOT let themselves be set back by life issues; instead they look to please God that chose us to live our life by faith.
Bottom line
A good soldier no longer sees themselves as an individual, instead they see what is for the greater good of others…the greater purpose of life. This is the message from Paul to Timothy as he encourages him to expand the message of the gospel, he tells him to be a “good soldier”. If you’re gonna be a good soldier the first thing you gotta know is you have the strength to be one, right? What makes us a strong soldier?
2Co 12:9 NLT – Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
GRACE…This is the ultimate oxymoron, the weaker you are being an individual the stronger Christ can work through you…grace! Do we really believe God’s grace is all we need in life? A good soldier does, he knows it makes him armed and dangerous and he can’t lose. 2Sa 23:10 CSB – but Eleazar stood his ground and attacked the Philistines until his hand was tired and stuck to his sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. This was one of King David’s top soldiers, he stood his ground and attacked the Philistines and was delivered a “great victory”. What made him armed and dangerous? His hand never let go of his sword, he held it so long through the battle it actually stuck to his hand.
Do you have a sword stuck to your hand this morning good soldier? Eph 6:17 KJV – And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Our sword is the word of God, the very words I share with you this morning should be stuck to your hand and never let go of them. What soldier goes to war without his weapon? That’s not a good soldier, that’s actually a bad soldier, right? We should live this life by the word of God and His word only, anything else is we leave you weak in battle. Remember the good soldier stood his ground, he didn’t abandon it. Do you stand your ground? Now, I’m not speaking of that stubborn nature that says you can’t move me. Remember, a good soldier is selfless not selfish.
What ground? Eph 3:17 KJV – That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. A good soldier is grounded in love, what else did you think Christ was going to dwell in? When you and I are grounded in love…that means love is our motivation for all we say and do in life. And what is it that we do? Well, you gotta remember the code? God, unit, corps and country (sorry, the Marines had it right they just forgot which one was first). Based on the code love says all others before me, that is God’s definition of a good soldier.
Another qualifier for a good soldier is to endure HARDNESS, how should we endure those that might be hard on us? With more hardness? Psa 69:7 CSB – For I have endured insults because of you, and shame has covered my face. We endure insults, hardship, rejection of men…Jesus Himself said people will look to offend you, but don’t be the one offending. We should be grounded in love and when we are that will be the only thing that will endure the battle of faith.
Sound familiar? Psa 107:1 KJV – O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. Mercy endures forever NOT hardness…give thanks good soldier for His grace has given you the strength to endure the insults, pain and sorrow and love them just the same. The last qualifier of a good soldier is to NOT entangleth himself with the affairs of life so that he may please the One that chose him to be a soldier. How do we please Him? Heb 11:6 KJV – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Be moved by faith alone and not by the problems you may face…you please Him so much you get a reward!
Point to Ponder
Do you suppose a good soldier would ever give up? Heb 12:3 CSB – For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up. Consider the One that never gave up on anyone, even those that nailed Him to the cross…He stood His ground and loved them just the same…don’t give up.
Let’s all be good soldiers, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends
Remember the code…https://youtu.be/1vX8aLqDWJE
