Active Duty – Always Training

The closer a combat soldier is to the end of their tour of duty, they sharper they must be.

Text for Today – Ephesians 4:11-12 – And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

We are living in an incredibly fast-moving world.  Information and data can be transmitted across our world at almost the speed of light.  And as fast as that is, we live even faster; we are living at the speed of life

As fast as the world is moving, the church must move faster.  God has told us that grace abounds over sin.  We know that He Who is in us is greater than he that is in the world.  We know we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us.  All of that is truly good news.  Still, there is a daily spiritual battle into which we must enter. 

In spiritual warfare, one can never go backward or retreat.   To prevent that from happening, the soldier of the cross MUST stay on active duty.  There are no reserves in God’s army.  And in order to stay on the offensive in a strong, active-duty function, soldiers need to be in ongoing training.  Training improves and sharpens needed skills, makes soldiers more alert, melds them into a strongly united fighting force (we might call it unity of the faith), and makes them critically able to discern needed action. 

So, soldier of the cross, combatant in the army of the Lord, the battle is on.  You’re in action, and at the same time you must continue in your training to become daily more effective. While none of us knows the day or the hour in which our Lord will come for us, we can be, and I believe are, aware of the time.  I believe the time is now.  But soldiers in a combat zone CANNOT and MUST NOT lower their guard just because they are a few days from the end of their tour of duty in a combat arena.  If anything, they become sharper, more alert, and quicker to respond and react to the enemy of their soul.  The enemy doesn’t know when their tour of duty ends.  But what could be more demoralizing than taking out top combat troops just days before they were to ship out and go home with total victory? 

Once again, soldier of the Lord, we are nearing the end of our tour of duty.  Jesus is coming for us soon, and we will be departing this combat arena.  Now is NOT the time to get lazy, lethargic, or loose.  Now is the time to rise to our greatest potential.  Pray, stay in the Word, keep constant fellowship with the Lord and His army, and maintain a right relationship with your Commander.  You’re in active duty, so train daily.

Manna for Today – Ephesians 4: John 14:12-14

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