Still, gaunt now and haggard, weakened in body but not in soul, we pressed on across.”
–Emerson Hough (54-40 or Fight!)
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
–Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
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I recall reading of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. It was a terrible winter and the 101st Airborne and 28th Infantry Division were cut off and running out of supplies. The Americans were outnumbered five to one and were lacking in cold-weather gear, along with ammunition and food. The German commander demanded surrender from the American troops to which we have the now famous reply of General Anthony McAuliffe:
To the German Commander.
NUTS!
The American Commander.
War is terrible and we do not like to think of it. But come on, if you’re a real bonafided believer in Jesus Christ you are engaged in a very serious, deadly war every day of your life. The enemy is always on the attack in one form or another. The way gets hard, the cross is heavy to bear, the arm is weary from wielding the sword, and added to that the enemy is relentless. “Surrender!” he commands with a sinister tone of glee. “You’re beaten–give in!”
However, now is the time to remember your training. Now is the time to take a deep sigh, and follow the words of the writer of Hebrews: “So take a fresh grip on life and brace your trembling limbs” (Hebrews 12:12, Phillips). The CEV translates it this way, “Now stand up straight! Stop your knees from shaking.” A good paraphrase might be, “Get a hold of yourself, man; your knees are knocking!”
Fear can bring us to this place, weariness in body and soul and mind can do it. Loneliness, depression, timidity, and even laziness will bring us to the point of surrendering. Each one wears and tears at the fabric of our soul in different manners. We must go back to the basics, the fundamentals–we must remember the sound doctrine in which we were taught and that starts with getting our focus back on God. Life has been a drain, stress is working on us, but we are to not lose heart. This portion of Scripture, Hebrews 12, shows the importance of divine discipline and the purpose of it. (Lane) Clear the clutter from your life, get a new vision–remember who you are, what your purpose is, where your goal and destination is, and who your God is.
The old slogan comes to mind, “Give your life to God; He can do more with it than you can.” Listen, “the resources of God are limitless. The power of God is the greatest. The purposes of God are the best.” (Charles R. Ehrhardt) Weak-kneed Christians, fair-weather believers, and the namby-pamby will not make it through the rugged battle that rages for their souls unless they get a new grip. That means understanding and practicing the doctrine and that can only be done by studying the Bible and by practicing prayer. And when the point of weakness or defeat and the attack seems overwhelming we can take our stand, and having done all…to still remain standing, sword in hand (Ephesians 6:13) to continue in the fight. “Discipline and repetition in these yield steadiness in body, mind, and soul.” (Ehrhardt) In other words, we are to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10, NIV) or as the CEV translates it, “let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.”
——————————–
I recall reading of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. It was a terrible winter and the 101st Airborne and 28th Infantry Division were cut off and running out of supplies. The Americans were outnumbered five to one and were lacking in cold-weather gear, along with ammunition and food. The German commander demanded surrender from the American troops to which we have the now famous reply of General Anthony McAuliffe:
To the German Commander.
NUTS!
The American Commander.
War is terrible and we do not like to think of it. But come on, if you’re a real bonafided believer in Jesus Christ you are engaged in a very serious, deadly war every day of your life. The enemy is always on the attack in one form or another. The way gets hard, the cross is heavy to bear, the arm is weary from wielding the sword, and added to that the enemy is relentless. “Surrender!” he commands with a sinister tone of glee. “You’re beaten–give in!”
However, now is the time to remember your training. Now is the time to take a deep sigh, and follow the words of the writer of Hebrews: “So take a fresh grip on life and brace your trembling limbs” (Hebrews 12:12, Phillips). The CEV translates it this way, “Now stand up straight! Stop your knees from shaking.” A good paraphrase might be, “Get a hold of yourself, man; your knees are knocking!”
Fear can bring us to this place, weariness in body and soul and mind can do it. Loneliness, depression, timidity, and even laziness will bring us to the point of surrendering. Each one wears and tears at the fabric of our soul in different manners. We must go back to the basics, the fundamentals–we must remember the sound doctrine in which we were taught and that starts with getting our focus back on God. Life has been a drain, stress is working on us, but we are to not lose heart. This portion of Scripture, Hebrews 12, shows the importance of divine discipline and the purpose of it. (Lane) Clear the clutter from your life, get a new vision–remember who you are, what your purpose is, where your goal and destination is, and who your God is.
The old slogan comes to mind, “Give your life to God; He can do more with it than you can.” Listen, “the resources of God are limitless. The power of God is the greatest. The purposes of God are the best.” (Charles R. Ehrhardt) Weak-kneed Christians, fair-weather believers, and the namby-pamby will not make it through the rugged battle that rages for their souls unless they get a new grip. That means understanding and practicing the doctrine and that can only be done by studying the Bible and by practicing prayer. And when the point of weakness or defeat and the attack seems overwhelming we can take our stand, and having done all…to still remain standing, sword in hand (Ephesians 6:13) to continue in the fight. “Discipline and repetition in these yield steadiness in body, mind, and soul.” (Ehrhardt) In other words, we are to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10, NIV) or as the CEV translates it, “let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.”