Greetings fellow soldiers,
Do you ever think of yourself that way…as a soldier. That is what we are – Soldiers in the army of God who keep marching on towards victory no matter how many times we fall: “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again” (vs. 16). We stand as we are commanded to stand, and we stand firm. And when we are knocked down, we get up again, because we belong to the army of the living God! And if God is for us, who can be against!
Now yesterday was Father’s Day. There is a word for fathers, indeed all of us, in Proverbs 24: “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” (vs. 3, 4) As we have seen over and over again in Proverbs, wisdom is what we are to build our houses on. We “establish” (fix securely on a firm foundation) all that pertains to family and life upon the tenets of scripture. And we possess understanding because we have learned how to apply the wisdom of God by practicing it, and discovering that its truth works! And we are blessed for doing so. “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw” (vs. 24:32)
Wisdom comes from God! It is not about physical strength, but by wisdom that a house is built, and a war is won. Many people spend hours a week trying to get their body strong, and in shape. But, they spend little time building their brain and heart muscles with the wisdom of God. “A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge is more powerful than a strong man.” (24:5 NLT) The word “man” in this verse means: a champion, a hero, a warrior, full of strength and bravery. Again, this person is not strong because he lifts weights, but because he is open to the advice and guidance of others – “for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers”(vs. 6). Wisdom and understanding is acquired not in isolation, but from spending time with other likeminded people, from whom we can learn and with whom we can face the battles before us. We learn from each other’s experiences and victories. We need each other to win battles! Are we tempted to go at the battles of life alone? Dangerous! “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.” (Prov. 11:14)
Warriors in a battle don’t leave fellow soldiers to die alone on a battle field. They come to the aid of their fallen comrades: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?” (vs. 11-12) We have a responsibility to our fellow soldiers to rescue them from destruction. And, we have a responsibility to God to not leave other soldiers behind.
There is one last word for us soldiers of Christ, found in verse 27, “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.” It speaks of ordering your life in the right order – get your priorities straight, especially when it comes to building a family. Simply, make sure you have food (the basics) before you have a nice house (the extras). It speaks of financial stewardship, and planning. A good soldier always has a good plan, and counts the cost.
Let me close with this thought. We are in a battle. From the moment we said “yes” to Jesus, we enlisted into a different regiment, which the world is not fond of. As the war heats up, we need wisdom, each other, and a strategy for victory, which is guaranteed in Christ. That strategy is found in the pages of God’s word, and in counsel with wise fellow soldiers. Let’s stand together, guard our homes and advance the Kingdom of God on our own battle fields. (2Timothy 2:1-8)
Have a blessed week!
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