The Army of Christ

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The Army of Christ

Song of Solomon 6:10

June 21, 2024

“…awesome as an army with banners…”

— Song of Solomon 6:10

We are the army of Christ. We sing “Onward Christian soldiers/marching as to war,” although we too often sing it flippantly and without much thought. Nonetheless, we are exactly that—Christian soldiers in the army of Christ. He is the Captain of the well fought fight who goes on before us. We are called to a great battle with the forces of darkness, with principalities and powers of the air.

We are called to go forth “awesome as an army with banners.” We have a banner. It is the Gospel. The Church has many other banners. “Jesus Christ is Lord” was one of the earliest ones. “He will never leave us” is another. “He always leads us forth in triumph” is yet another. “He is King of kings and Lord of lords,” is yet another. “He goes forth upon a white horse, conquering and to conquer” is yet another of the banners of Christ.

Have you noticed that with the armies of this world, sometimes, when they see the flag, the national emblem, lifted up, even soldiers who are fatigued will get new strength? So we, as the army of Christ are to go forth in that way. And we should indeed strike fear into those who are the enemies of God and the enemies of righteousness and godlessness—not because we would take up a literal sword, but because we would proclaim the Word of God to a lost world, which contains many elements that don’t want to hear it.

Lord God, thank You for the transforming power of the Gospel. Thank You for transforming my heart and daily conforming me into Your own image. Thank You for making us part of Your story…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, OUR HEARTS ARE TRANSFORMED.

To Sin Against God’s Wisdom Is to Sin Against Oneself

June 30, 2024

“…but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.” — Proverbs 8:36 In Proverbs 8, God’s wisdom cries aloud in the street and beckons men and women to live their lives according to His precepts. She then concludes with today’s verse. I think that there is a great truth found here. It is a very far reaching truth. For example, none of us would ever think of pitting ourselves against the law of gravity. One would not climb up the Empire State Building and jump off just to see if sometimes it doesn’t work. We know that it works. One knows that if we violate it, the law will break us every time. The moral law is not different or elastic; it is one. The law is all one given by the same Law Giver and therefore we can but break ourselves against that law. Although Jesus Christ has taken the eternal punishment—the wrath of God—for our breaking those laws, how slow we are to realize that when we sin against the law of God we invariably bring the chastening and displeasure of God upon ourselves. Have we not been foolish? Have we not been slow to realize that the law is all one and that we can no more break the moral law of God than we can break the physical laws of God? All we can do is break ourselves upon them by violating His laws. May God grant us greater wisdom to experience the joy of obedience to Him. Lord, thank You that You are the source of all wisdom. This day we choose life and eschew death. Thank You that You are the Lord of life. Give us strength for today to follow after You and not break Your laws… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN EMBRACE HIS WISDOM.

Ahab Went to the Wrong Place to Choose a Wife

June 29, 2024

“The sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat were seen as minor for him to walk in, for he took Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, as his wife and went and served Baal and worshipped him.” — 1 Kings 16:31 Ahab, king of the Israelites, chose a wicked bride, Jezebel, a Syro-Phoenician princess. She was bad and her father was bad. Her children were bad. And her husband was bad. And her grandchildren were bad. She produced calamity in whatever she did, and everything she touched was poisoned by her false belief. She was part of a very prosperous and highly sophisticated people. The Phoenicians are the ones that gave us the alphabet. The Tyrians and Sidonians had great navies, since they had access to the Mediterranean, and they accomplished many things, like establishing Carthage, and sailing to Spain and Britain. But they were molded according to their religion and therefore they were a very bold and cruel people. It was into this nest of the Priest King of Sidon that the weak and wicked king of Israel, Ahab looked for his mate. Now this was a gross mistake. It may very well have looked to be politically a very attractive move. But, it was a violation of the law of God, which had forbidden the Israelites to take wives of the Canaanites or the other unbelievers. That has always been God’s law; we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. A sin like this can have a negative impact on everyone, and in Ahab’s case, on the nation. Lord, forgive us for serious compromise on major issues. Forgive us for allowing ourselves to be allied with the world in the wrong way. Give us strength for today that we might glorify You in all our relationships… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN STAY FAITHFUL TO CHRIST, INCLUDING IN OUR KEY RELATIONSHIPS.

Prayer Helps Save the Constitution

June 28, 2024

“…and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.” — Psalm 50:15 The Constitution was written, as it says, “in the year of our Lord 1787.” And during that long, very hot summer in Philadelphia, tempers flared and the progress was slow. Indeed, the fact that they ever finished the whole enterprise was a “miracle” to quote George Washington, for they almost gave up midway through. The turning point came on June 28, when Ben Franklin rose to his feet and appealed to them to pray. He said, “In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection—Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered... And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?…” He added, “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” After that they attended a worship service at a local Christian church and prayed together. Much of the acrimony subsided. They were finally able to produce the Constitution. My friends, this is one example among many that testify that if it weren’t for the Christian faith, there would not be an America as we know it. If you are facing a crisis in your life, can you honestly say you have prayed about it? Don’t let prayer be a last resort, as almost happened with the Founding Fathers. Thank You, Lord God, for blessing the undertaking of those godly men who gave us our nation by Your wisdom and guidance. Lord, give me strength for today to expand Your kingdom in our nation… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN RECOGNIZE HIS HAND IN THE RAISING UP AND TEARING DOWN OF NATIONS.