No Sissies Permitted! – Rhapsody Of Realities TeeVo Devotional May 7th

(You’re A First-Class Soldier In God’s End-time Army)

TO THE BIBLE: 2 Timothy 2:3 AMPC
“Take [with me] your share of the hardships and suffering [which you are called to endure] as a good (first-class) soldier of Christ Jesus.”

LET’S TALK
Years ago, I enrolled as a young guy in the army cadet programme. While there, they made it clear that we had no options; we were only to do whatever we were instructed to do. They didn’t want sissies.

We had to look strong and tough, and we weren’t expected to complain or exhibit any sign of weakness.

The same goes for God’s army. No Christian should laze through life because we’re first-class soldiers in God’s army.

As a soldier, you’re expected to be strong and tough to accomplish the task set before you. There’s absolutely no place for the timid and weak-hearted in the army.

A good soldier of Jesus Christ must be trained and fully equipped for the fight of faith; he must be strong and equipped to endure hard times.

For example, when you’re told, “Let’s pray,” you can’t complain that you’re feeling tired, or that your hands are hurting when told to “lift your hands to the Lord in worship.” You can’t say you’re too tired to go on evangelism; you’re a soldier, and soldiers don’t make excuses.

The Lord Jesus Christ remains our perfect example of what a true soldier should be like. Consider what the Prophet Isaiah said about Him: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10).

We’re the result of that travail. When He saw the glory ahead of Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2); we’re that glory. He saw what we would become and gave His life to save us.

We’re His seed, prolonging His days through the preaching of the Gospel. We must herald it from the housetops, from the mountaintops, from the valleys—everywhere: North, South, East, and West—and by so doing, establish His Kingdom on earth and in the hearts of men. That’s our job as soldiers in His end-time army.

Go Deeper
2 Timothy 4:5; 2 Timothy 2:4-5

Pray:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for imparting to my spirit an extraordinary passion for the Gospel. By the power of your Spirit, I establish your Kingdom everywhere I go, even as I saturate my world with the knowledge of your Word, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading
ONE YEAR
John 3:22-36, 2 Samuel 23-24
TWO YEAR
1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Proverbs 3

Act:
Make a list of at least ten people who have yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray over your list and make up your mind to reach out to them and also sign them up for God’s army.