...like a good soldier

It cannot be stated too frequently that the life of a Christian is a warfare, an intense conflict, a lifelong contest. It is a battle, moreover, waged against invisible foes, who are ever alert, and ever seeking to entrap, deceive, and ruin the souls of men. The life to which Holy Scripture calls men is no picnic, or holiday junketing. It is no pastime, no pleasure jaunt. It entails effort, wrestling, struggling; it demands the putting forth of the full energy of the spirit in order to frustrate the foe and to come off, at the last, more than conqueror. It is no primrose path, no rose-scented dalliance. From start to finish, it is war. From the hour in which he first draws sword, to that in which he doffs his harness, the Christian warrior is compelled to “endure hardness like a good soldier.”

E. M. Bounds

Sobering Words from one Generation to Another

“The choice before us is plain: Christ or chaos, conviction or compromise, discipline or disintegration. I am rather tired of hearing about our rights…The time is come…to hear about responsibilities…America’s future depends upon her accepting and demonstrating God’s government.” — Peter Marshall

One use of Fire

Fire is used in the purification of metals. The refiner uses fire in a controlled manner to take that which is polluted and valueless, to create that which is pure and of great value. His is an exacting process using that which is capable of destroying, to deliberately and carefully over a period of time, produce that which pleases him and ultimately others as well. Those ignorant of the process would question the intentions of the refiner. “Why would someone deliberately put something of such potential value in the fire?” And yet in time they themselves would see the wisdom of the refiner in that which they themselves previously questioned.

Comparatively, the Lord is the Refiner. He uses the fiery trial in the life of the believer to accomplish His work of purification. He takes that which is polluted and valueless, to create that which, “…may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” His is also an exacting process, although the believer may feel as if at times He is acting in a carless manner. He takes that which is capable of destroying and, over a period of time determined by Him, He produces that which pleases Him and ultimately others as well. One difference between the earthly refiner and the Heavenly Refiner is that we can observe and understand the intentions of the earthly, but not always the Heavenly. So, ignorant of the process and the intentions of the Refiner, we often question His intentions. “Why would the Refiner deliberately allow me to endure this fire?” And yet we ourselves see in time the wisdom of the Refiner in that which we previously questioned. Yet another difference between the earthly and the heavenly is that we do not always understand in this life the wisdom of the Refiner in allowing us to endure the fire. So we are encouraged to endure, not yet seeing the wisdom of the Refiner.

Like the earthly, so is the Heavenly. The process of refining is ongoing, as often as the Refiner desires, until He is satisfied, until His intended result is achieved: “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 1:7).

Isaiah 51:5: On mine arm shall they trust.

In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father's arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time. Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father! Now that thou hast only thy God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in Him. Dishonour not thy Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in thy weakness, and magnify his might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye. May the Holy Spirit give you to rest in Jesus this closing day of the month.

Charles Spurgeon