Battle Field

I am fired up this morning. It is crazy, but I am. Yesterday, I could not get past 2 Corinthians 6. One chapter is as far as I was able to read. This morning, I read 7-13, the rest of 2 Corinthians. It is funny to me how people think that Christians should only teach others by telling them about their weakness. I know, for I am guilty of this. I would much rather tell people how much I do not know and the bad that I have done. For otherwise, I fear they will think that I am boasting. What I expect when I go to "church" is to hear a lesson on how to live peacefully for God and to leave there feeling all happy and full. I go as a glutton, expecting to be filled. This is not at all what, basically, the entire book of 2 Corinthians is about. It is about Paul giving his defense and letting them know just how much he has done for them.

2 Cor 10, "We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.
Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn’t tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority..."

Yesterday, Aaron gave a wonderful lesson about the war that we have. 2 Timothy 2, "Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things." He gave a beautiful apologetic (defense) for the battle we are in as Christians. "When you are on the battle field your perspective is different than when you are USO (on vacation). Your expectation is different. When in war you endure. Your complaints are different. Are you inconvenienced or are you incapacitated? Health care is different, your appetite is different- junk food vs real food. Relationships are different- superficial vs significant. Your heart is different."

While he was speaking, he was boasting. Not of himself, but the power given him by the authority a worker of Christ has. In this defense, I was strengthened! Then this morning I read what Paul says and he does the exact same thing. "We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you...And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too. After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! ...But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too." All over Paul is giving his defense. He did not keep it a secret and quietly go to one individual, but he publicly gave his apologetic. We too are to give our defense. We are in a battle and sometimes that means gaining strength in God by looking at the battles we have won. It means taking up arms and standing our ground, so that we are not overcome by Satan ourselves.

Things come to me in threes. Yesterday, I read chapter 6. Then I went to church and heard a lesson that backed up what I was reading. Now today, I finished with the rest and was strengthened even more. Sometimes we need to remember the authority that we have and we need to boast about that authority so that we can win the battle. If you ever go to church and feel you are getting blasted, because what is being said seems like boasting, maybe you should read these verses and see that sometimes we need to be reminded that we are in a war. Do you know that you are in a battle? Do you see it, but instead focus on the small things? Do we wake every morning with great expectation to see where we will be taken today? If you were there yesterday, did you leave strengthened, or were you more offended that the service did not feed your appetite like you thought it should? Where are you in this battle? Did you sign up as a ready soldier, or do you live as a reluctant draft?