1. DEAR SOLDIER

Just in case you never had it mentioned to you before, please permit me to be the first to inform you that you indeed got enlisted into God’s military the moment you confessed Jesus as Lord and savior. Oh, you didn’t realize? Well, it gets even better. Not only were you appointed as a soldier of Christ, you were also commissioned. I hope you understand the difference, but just in case you don’t, I’ll elucidate.

It is one thing to be an officer, it is another thing to be a commissioned one. Being commissioned is being granted authority to carry out a specific task or charge. It is an acknowledgement of not only your military status and ability but a recognition of your readiness. A testament to your grit and fitness. It is your commander basically saying to you “dear soldier, I find you war ready and I am willing to commit this responsibility to you”. Now these were the exact words of Jesus in Matt. 28:18-20.

What a moment of complete bewilderment it must have been when the master told his proteges they were ready for the mission, when in fact they seemed nothing like it. They had been with him for years but they remained extremely timid and largely oblivious of what the mission was, yet the master would call them ready and was willing to count on them. What this shows is a commander not looking for perfect soldiers to represent him, but is on the look-out for ordinary unskilled men, whom he would make perfect and gallantly fit; fit enough to fly the flag of his mandate all across the world. Now this is the first thing to note dear soldier, your commissioning has nothing to do with your competence. It is because you have decided to put faith in your commander. Never forget this, in fact, carry it around like a badge on your uniform and never put it off.

Another thing I have to let you know is that you have not been sent out without the adequate warring equipment. I know there are countries who have sent their soldiers to war without the needed resources, you might even live in one, but that is not how the commander runs his army. He is never caught unprepared; his omniscience would never allow such. As a matter of fact, the ability bestowed upon you alone is the culmination of all that actually exists in heaven and on earth. So along with being commissioned, you are hundred percent enabled by the source of all things. Now tell me, since it has been established that God is for you, who exactly dares to stand against you?

Let us talk about the tenure of your contract. Comrade, I will not even attempt to mince words with you here. The truth is you have not only been called to live for the commander but also to die for him. The ideals of your faith are such that you must be willing to die for Comrade. So, I’m pleased to inform you that you are in this for life. And before you get the wrong ideas, let me show you a quote from the scriptures which serves as our military constitution. It goes “if we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord.

So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord”. You see that? Either way we win, death is never our loss. And when we cease to exist in the flesh, we simply get new bodies and continue to live with our commander in our home country. Amazing stuff, right? And did I mention that we are only sojourners around here?

Now this is it- We are here on a mission. And our mission is to live and preach the gospel. By doing so we raise disciples of Christ who will be future soldiers in God’s army. This is really the meat and potatoes of our existence. Every other thing is transient and relatively trivial when compared to the greater cause our maker has ended over to us. Therefore, we do not have the luxury of time to stall or filibuster, our eyes must be focused on the commission which is equally monumental and imperative. So, I hope your hands are on deck dear soldier. I hope you are not majoring on the minor and minoring on the major.

Finally, my comrade, I need you to realize that constant training must be undergone to guarantee your success in this endeavor. To be more specific, you must engage in lots of prayer and studying of the word. That way, the mission gets clearer and you’re strengthened to keep going and not stop. To help you further understand all I have said so far, I would like to encourage you to read the following portions of the bible; 2 Tim, Matt 26-28 and 1 Thessalonians.

I will keep writing to you dear friend and I hope my words never get sour on your taste buds. I hope they grant your frame all the nutrients it needs and your soul, the truth it deserves.

Blessings!