The Last Mile

 There is something about the last mile of a race that can make it the most difficult time of all.  The anticipation of the finish is both exhilarating and hopeful - but that is balanced by an ever increasing mindfulness of the aches and pains sustained along the way.  During the middle of the race we "calibrate" as it were our bodies to endure for the long haul but as the end approaches our mental discipline begins to break down.  Suddenly we realize how desperately thirsty, sore, and miserable we feel - and the tantalizing hope of the finish only serves to enflame our agony as it looms ahead.

How often have runners collapsed just short of the finish line?  Or lost wanderers died just before reaching shelter? Or students broke down just ahead of their degree?  These events are saddening because they represent the difference between a great tragedy and a great victory.  Indeed, it becomes an even greater tragedy when the margin between the two is thinner.

JESUS understood very well what it was going to be like as we all approach the last mile of our days.  Like in a race, the last mile is full of signs of the approaching end.  The crowds, the sounds and shouts from the sidelines, the markers on the pavement all declare that the race will soon be finished.  It is a time of great excitement and anticipation, and like the Lord spoke, "And when you see these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemtpion draws nigh." ~Luke 21:28

But the Lord also knew how important it was to balance that sense of anticipation with patience and steady endurance.  While describing to His disciples how difficult the last days would be He said, "...But he that endures to the end shall be saved."~Matthew 10:22.  Also in Luke 21:19 JESUS speaking of the last days said, "In your patience possess your souls."

Like in a race, the signs of the end are meant to keep us from becoming complacent, and to press on in endurance.  However, those same signs can become a snare when we become so fixated on them that we loose our pace and steady rhythm of motion.  Faith is what gives us that steady rhythm in Christ, and as long as our eyes are fixed on Him instead of the blustering winds and waves of our time - we will remain steady.  May the Lord direct all of our hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. ~2 Thes. 3:5

A Dead Man’s Resolve

 The officers of the Israeli host rose and quieted the bustling ranks of soldiers on the apointed day of battle. Off in the distance the hills were blanketed with enemy forces waiting to utterly erase the name of Israel from the earth. This was not the first time this had happened, in fact Moses himself had written commandments for days such as these. Accordingly the priest looked over the thousands of nervous soldiers and bellowed with a mighty cry, 

"Hear, O Israel! You approach this day to battle against your enemies: let not your hearts be faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be afraid of them. For the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you!!"(Deut 20:4)

After this declaration many of the soldiers felt a strength come over them as their fears evoporated into the still air. Others however looked silently down at their feet, while others wept silently with hopelessness. With a little anger in his voice, an officer then yelled out to the people,

"What man among you has built a house, and not dedicated it?! let him go and return to house, lest he die in battle, and someone else dedicate it!" (Deut 20:5)

Absolute silence struck the soldiers, and he yelled out again,

"And what man of you has planted a vineyard, and not eaten of it! Let him go home! Lest he die in battle, and other man eat of it!" (Deut 20:6)

Another pause, and the officer yelled even louder,

"What man of you has betrothed a wife, and not taken her!! let him go home! Lest he die in battle, and another man take her!" (Deut 20:7)

Some of the soldiers began to feel ashamed when the officer yelled finally,

"And what man of you here is fearful and fainthearted!!! Let him go home!! Lest you cause your brothers hearts also to become fearful and faint!!!"(Deut 20:8)

At that moment the soldiers realized what this was all about... when they marched into battle, they couldn't afford to be careful about anything outside their duty as soldiers. Not only would that mindset hurt their performance on the battlefield, but it could also endanger the lives of their fellow brothers. When they stepped out into battle, they needed to be fully prepared to die - and trust the outcome fully to God. As king David had discovered long before, the only place of safety in battle is the LORD. (Psalm 91)

As Christians we also can get caught up in the cares and concerns of this life... home, emploment, marriage... things that God cares about in our lives, but often only distract us from our calling as soldiers. In order to have faith for the battle at hand, those cares need to be crucified in our lives, and fully entrusted to God. Paul couseled his spiritual son Timothy,

"No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who has called him to be a soldier" -2 Tim. 2:4

Most of those soldiers in Israel had families at home, wives, children, hopes and aspirations for the future. Their commanding officer however wasn't asking them to abandon those things, but rather to entirely lay down the care of them. In Christ, God asks us to do the same thing. Paul wrote to the Phillipians,

"Be careful for nothing, but in everything through prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -Phillipians 4:6-7

Just like many of those Israeli soldiers discovered, the peace of God will come over your life, and even faith for the future, when you have died to the cares of this life. When you enter into battle with the resolve of a dead man - you will surely be a fearsome opponent to the enemy.