We say we worship the LORD, our Lord with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength. How is this translated into our daily lives?
Joshua and the people were camped outside Jericho, all set and ready to conquer it (Joshua 5:13). He suddenly bumped into a Man with a drawn sword facing him. Because of the heightened state of military (and spiritual) alertness, Joshua questioned the Man sternly, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” Instead of saying, “I am for you”, with the Commander’s voice He replied, “Neither, but as the commander of the army of the LORD I have now come” (Joshua 5:14).
Joshua encountered the LORD and immediately fell prostrate in worship, submitting himself rightfully as a soldier under His command. He also realized the right question to ask was not whether the Man was for Israel but rather, was Israel with the Commander of the LORD’s army in the Kingdom’s advancement.
As we take an honest look into each area of our lives, ask who is in-charge and really king? Just as soldiers are not to do any nor every tasks, but only what their commander assigns, we need to clearly know our assignment for each season.
Five basic areas of our lives we need to look into carefully:
- As a disciple of Christ Which area of my life is He calling me to surrender more completely this season? Which habits are offensive in His sight? What new facet of Himself and His Name is He showing me? How is my quiet time (honestly)?
- Disciple in the home Do I know if the Lord is pleased with how I carry out my role as a husband/father, wife/mother, child/sibling (Ephesians 5:21-6:4)? How are my relationships today? What does He want me to work on this season?
- Disciple as a worker/homemaker/student Have I been honest in carrying out my work obligations and righteous in my business dealings? What aftertaste do I leave behind with colleagues after each encounter? As a homemaker, do my family members have a most comfortable home to return to and feel a sense of security, rest and joy each day? As a student, am I maximizing the educational training opportunity I have here, that many in other countries do not?
- Disciple in Ministry God has given every believer at least one spiritual gift which when faithfully deployed in the Body of Christ, strengthens it. Because the opposite is also true, have I taken time to discover my gift (perhaps with the help of another member or SG/church leader)? How does the Lord want me to more intentionally use it for the Body this season?
- Disciple as a friend Firstly, which pre-believing family member or friend am I intentionally befriending and reaching out to this season? How do I plan to connect and how frequently? Are they being prayed for daily in my quiet time? Secondly, can I pass the “2am test” (i.e. when I have a major personal crisis, do I have a Christian friend I can call/text at 2am?). Disciples of Christ do not operate alone and must have Christian “wingmen” (two or more) to intentionally journey together, authentic (able to celebrate joys and also openly share hurts, disappointments, sins, etc, without fear), accountable, looking out for each other’s blind spots, praying and given permission to speak into each other’s life anytime, without fear of offence. To be “wingmen”, we need to catch-up at least once a month.
Let’s be authentic, intentional and missional here. As His disciple and solider, are our lives aligned with our Commander’s assignments for us this season? Have we asked the Lord? How have we been depending on the power of the Commander’s name to succeed? Does the Last Days feature in our lives’ priorities?
By Sam Tan, Deacon (YCKC Bulletin 23&24 January 2016)