Soldiers For Christ

Have you ever considered the similarities between the American soldier and the Christian believer? They are nearly identical. At least they SHOULD be.

Our pastor gave a message yesterday about the faith of the centurion (Luke 7). He listed six "characteristics of faith" found in that Roman soldier.

Faith, Reverence, Respect, Humility, a feeling of unworthiness, and Trust. The centurion in Luke's Gospel had them all. Jesus saw the character of this man's life and said this.

"When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” - Luke 7:9

When we think of the soldiers of today what characteristics come to mind? Sacrifice, Duty, Honor, Bravery. Those words reflect the same characterizes of Jesus, wouldn't you say? The sacrifice on the cross. The duty and honor Jesus continually displayed to God, The Father. And the bravery of His willingness to die on the cross, once and for all.

Shouldn't WE have those same characteristics? The characteristics of Christ? The characteristics of a soldier?

All American soldiers have been honored throughout our history for their service - except for the Vietnam soldier. They were spit on and shunned when the war ended in the early 70's. I will submit to you today that that disrespect marked the beginning of our downfall as a nation.

The media first expressed "their opinion" during the nightly news at that time. No respect was given to our returning soldiers. There was a waning reverence for God as we began removing Him from our schools and courthouses. There is no respect for our constitution. No honor is given to our highest court or political offices. Trust is absent and we feel that WE are more worthy than God.

We now see the result of our disobedience in just about every news story out there. We need to seek forgiveness from God for all of our shortcomings.

I challenge you to walk through a cemetery today. Seek out a Vietnam soldier amongst the headstones. There are thousands of them. And when you find one, take a knee and give thanks to God for providing such fine examples of His workmanship.

God is mighty to save, but we first must repent as a nation. Then, and only then, will He save this great country of ours. We must reinflate our 'In God We Trust' motto with the characteristics of a faithful soldier. And we need to do it quickly.