WATCHWORD:
16 Oh, wash yourselves! Be clean! Let me no longer see you doing all these wicked things; quit your evil ways. 17 Learn to do good, to be fair, and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows. Isaiah 1:16-17
3 Give fair judgment to the poor man, the afflicted, the fatherless, the destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil men. Psalm 82:3-4
Meditation:
Marching Orders?
It was Christmas time and I was 18, holding a letter from the dean of my university informing me that I was academically disqualified. My fun and games, all my decisions, had caught up with me. I lost my deferment and my number in the draft was sure to come up soon. Two days after News Years I made one final decision, and signed the paper, becoming a soldier in the US Army headed to basic training. Although I did not know it at the time, several weeks later I would be in Korea. From that moment on I was told where to go, how to get there, when to go, when to eat, when to sleep. I had no choice, I received my marching orders.
Chuck Swindoll, in a sermon given seven or eight years ago, said: “You may not have thought about it before, but Christians have a lot more in common with soldiers than we might think. In what way? For starters, soldiers don’t serve to protect themselves but to guard the interests of their homeland. There is simply no room for ego or grandstanding among soldiers during the heat of battle. What matters is obeying the leader’s commands.”
My time in Korea changed me, a change that started just weeks after my arrival. Seeing the devastation that war created in this small country, seeing the look of defeat on the faces of those we met. Even in my young immature mind, I realized that I was living a truth; some ideas are worth volunteering for, fighting for, even dying for. It would be years later when I realized that truth fit the obedient life of a Christian. God has given us marching orders, for important reasons. We cannot see beyond the bend of God’s purpose, but our faith in the Lord should carry us forward.
The character of a Christian is clearly outlined by the prophet Isaiah, telling us to Learn to do good, to be fair, and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows, and echoed in Psalms with rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil. Micah inquired of the Lord what were the orders, and the answer came back — do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. These are our marching orders from our Lord, God’s instructions to you and me. How are we doing in carrying those out? There is a purpose far greater than we can understand, and so we trust Him. That is what we signed up for when we declared that Jesus was our Lord and Savior. Amen? Amen!
Bulletin Board:
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
see his banner go!
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Prayer:
Father, even the disciples that walked with Jesus needed to strengthen their faith. Jesus told them if their faith was only the size of a mustard seed, they could uproot trees and crumble mountains. Lord, I need more faith like the disciples. Increase my faith and make me a mover of mountains. Grow my belief in You alone so that I would be strong in the Lord and ready to battle against the doubts planted by the enemy. Lord, increase my faith! Amen.
