Are you an active member of the Lord's Army?

In Judges 6, we see 300 men were chosen under Gideon by Lord Almighty. Remember they were not selected to fight with the Midianites but to take part and stand firm in the battle, which the Lord was going to fight for them.

Imagine Gideon, under the supervision of Lord almighty calling out the names of the 300 men, one by one. Each of men would have responded and acknowledged Gideon‘s call.

Likewise, our gracious Lord, through the Christ Jesus, has called each one of us personally. We see this calling both in the Old Testament and New Testament.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1) He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. (John 10:3)

We are asked to put on the full armor of God and stand our ground with Lord leading us. We are not asked to fight, as bible says the battle belongs to Lord. We know this battle is not against flesh and blood but against the evil forces prevailing in this fallen world. We are asked to stand firm and faithful with Him, till the end. In his second epistle, Peter reminds us to confirm our calling and election. We were called not because we deserved it, but by the grace and mercy of our loving Father. 2 Peter 1:3-9 details about this journey with Jesus and how can ensure we do not stumble or backslide midway. Remember initially in Gideon‘s army there were 22000 men which reduced to 10000 men and finally only 300.

Good News! 2 Peter 1:3 says, His divine power has given us everything we need to be effective, productive and successful in this journey. Below are a few things we must keep reminding ourselves during our journey. (Please read 2 Peter 1:3-9)

• We can tap into this divine power through the knowledge of Him who called us and led us (2 Peter 1:3). This is not just worldly knowledge, but a personal intimate knowledge acquired by spending quality time in prayer and His word.
• This journey is in the opposite direction to the world‘s way (2 Peter 1:4), opposite to the corruption of world caused by fleshly desires.
• Everyone is given a precious gift at the start of the journey - which is faith. Now it is our duty to unwrap this gift and go through these like reading through a book. Unless you unwrap and start using this gift, it is of no use to you.
• This is not Jesus dragging you through and you being passive. We must put an effort from our side into this journey. (2 Peter 1:5-6) as explained below.
• This journey is a step-by-step process, gradually growing and maturing as we proceed. Starting with faith. Once we repent and accept Jesus then Bible says add moral excellence to faith. That is, awareness of what it means to be separated from the world. With this realization and focus, seek wisdom and knowledge from God. Then the Holy Spirit will start guiding and teaching us. Being empowered with His knowledge and His promises, we should practice self-control. As we continue to preserve in self-control, we slowly get transformed into Christ like character. This is expresses outward as love.

Peter reminds us that Jesus Christ is coming soon, and every faithful soldier will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:11)

To conclude, let us ask ourselves am I part of Lord‘s army. Have I acknowledged His great calling? If so, have I been sidetracked? Have I lost focus? Then let us come back and rejoin the journey with our Commander in Chief - Lord Jesus Christ.