Die Like Harry

Scripture: "When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. 2 "When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. 3 "He shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, 4 for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." Deut 20:1-4

Observation: Life can often be intimidating. We will face adversaries. There will be struggles. There are two things here that really stick out from this passage. First, the "you" used here refers to the entire nation, not individuals. Individual safety is not promised. In fact in later verses it is mentioned that individuals will die. It is the greater cause that will prevail. The cause is to be placed above individual loss. Second, it says 'When you go" not "if you go" We will face adversaries but regardless of what we face we are to never lose sight of God. We will have to face people who are superior to us, but they are never greater than God.

Application: I am called to live a selfless life. My blog site is named "a life to give." The scripture I chose as the description for the blog is "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28. As I think about this passage from Deuteronomy, I can get fired up. I am taken into the movie Brave Heart. I can be William Wallace. I can picture myself leading the battle. Charging the field. Motivating the troops. Dying a heroic death. Trouble is, I can't picture myself being Harry. Who is Harry? Harry is the nameless, faceless man who died when the first arrow flew. He never made any history books. His legacy was not enduring. In fact, I had to make up his name just now because the movie did not mention him nor the thousands just like him. As much as I like to think that I am ready to give my life, I am not. I am ready for success. Notoriety. Accomplishment. I am not ready to be one of the faceless mortals whose life is spilled out on the field of battle to never be remembered again. The cause is not greater than my own personal advancement. What a great challenge. As I approach today, what am I ready to lose on behalf of God? My friends? My family? My team? Will I sacrifice for them? I must truly prepare myself to answer these questions for I know the time is coming when I will be faced with this choice. I want to be willing to die a faceless death for the greater good of the mission to which God has called me. Once I have totally abandoned myself and surrendered all the terms under which I am willing to die, I am free. If all that I desire is the greater good of God's cause and I count as nothing my personal losses, then fear no longer has any hold on me. I have to lose my life long before I am asked to give it up.

Prayer: I am so grateful that You took the time to leave us with Your words contained in the Bible. Every morning I get to spend time seeking counsel from the Creator of the heavens and earth. As I do, it is like staring into a mirror for my soul. There is not the first hint of guilt nor condemnation, only a challenge to live stronger. To be more diligent. To keep pressing onward towards the prize that has been given to those who serve You. Over the past two days You have really challenged me to surrender my life and my agenda for the greater good of Your purpose. There is absolutely nothing in my flesh that desires to pursue this selfless act. All that is left of my natural man lines up against this mission and fights to preserve my rights, my dreams and my security. I must rely on Your strength to advance in this area. Only You have the power to break the yolk of self-idolatry.