Chapter 29—Loyalty a Must
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2
Timothy 2:3
.
We are soldiers of Christ; and those who enlist in His army are expected to
do difficult work, work which will tax their energies to the utmost. We must
understand that a soldier’s life is one of aggressive warfare, of perseverance
and endurance. For Christ’s sake we are to endure trials. We are not engaged
in mimic battles.
Resolve, not in your own strength, but in the strength and grace given
of God, that you will consecrate to Him now, just now, every power, every
ability. You will then follow Jesus because He bids you, and you will not ask
where, or what reward will be given....
When you die to self, when you surrender to God, to do His work, to let
the light that He has given you shine forth in good works, you will not labor
alone. God’s grace stands forth to cooperate with every effort to enlighten
the ignorant and those who do not know that the end of all things is at hand.
But God will not do your work. Light may shine in abundance, but the grace
given will convert your soul only as it arouses you to cooperate with divine
agencies. You are called upon to put on the Christian armor and enter the
Lord’s service as active soldiers. Divine power is to cooperate with human
effort to break the spell of worldly enchantment that the enemy has cast upon
souls.
The Lord has honored us by choosing us as His soldiers. Let us fight
bravely for Him, maintaining the right in every transaction. Rectitude in all
things is essential to the warfare of the soul. As you strive for the victory over
your own inclinations, He will help you by His Holy Spirit to be circumspect
in every action, that you may give no occasion for the enemy to speak evil of
the truth.
We are soldiers of Christ. He is the Captain of our salvation, and we
are under His orders and rules. We are to wear His armor; we are to be
marshaled only under His banner.... We are to keep on the whole armor of
God, and work as in view of the universe of heaven.
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