God’s Soldiers

I love this passage from F.B. Meyer on II Tim. 2:1-4.

There is grace enough in Jesus for every need, but we must avail ourselves of it. We can expect nothing less than hardship, since life is a battlefield. Our one aim should be to please Him who chose us to be soldiers. In order to be all that he would have us be, we must avoid entangling ourselves in the conditions around us. We must resemble a garrison in the town where it is quartered, and from which it may at any hour be summoned away. The less encumbered we are, the more easily shall we be able to execute the least command of our Great Captain. How high an honor it is to be enrolled among His soldiers!”

The soldier’s image is often easier for men to swallow than women, who may not welcome the military metaphor with great delight. But spiritual warfare consumes the whole world and will until Christ comes back. As Christians we are in the thick of the fighting.

But don’t worry! God gives you all the strength you need and more, and He gives you all of the gifts — the armor and weapons — you need to do your part. And always remember — we are on the winning side.