When a man starts out to do violence there’s only one way. You got to defend yourselves.”
–Louis L’Amour
“It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
–Hebrews 10:31 (NLT)
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“The assassination of character can be more deadly than that of a bullet.”
–D.C. Adkisson
Ponder that for a while. A bullet may take limb and life. The pain and suffering of this world is over. However, character assassination is sinister. A person has to live the rest of his days with that. His legacy is destroyed. Folks, I will also say that there is a judgment day coming.
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I worked twenty-two years at a school whose mascot was a “Warrior.” In those years I taught and spoke several times about the concept of a warrior. Very few people understand that concept.
First, a warrior is someone who lives their training. All soldiers are given rudimentary training, but many of them become clerks, work in supply or transportation, some of in the medical view, and so on. In reality there are only a few who become warriors. Every hour of every day they are living their training.
The second thing that depicts a warrior is that they are constantly confronted with death. The first part of that is death to self. Selfish desires are put aside for the higher cause. Paul, that warrior apostle, wrote that he died daily. He further wrote,
“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”
–Romans 2:1-2 (Phillips)
To the warrior, life and death are ultimate issues. Karl Marlantes said that “Warriors deal with eternity.” In battle they will decide the death of their enemies. And, their enemy may decide their death. Death his something all around a warrior.
In this day it is hard to find someone who can fit that bill. Living is about Christ. Dying is about Christ. All things are to be done in light of who Christ is. Duty completely replaces self and selfish desires. General Douglas MacArthur stated the following:
“The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training–sacrifice. In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when He created man in His won image. No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of the Divine help which alone can sustain him.”
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There was a movie made several years ago whose title is somewhat prophetic–“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World.” The world in full of hate and is moving further and further toward the chaos that Nietzsche predicted. We are seeing possibly the first-fruits of a world gone mad.
When a senator and his wife is forced from a restaurant because of their standard and then another senator is applauded for the vileness that comes out of her mouth, folks, there are sinister forces at work. Man will choose either light or darkness; good or evil.