Military Devotion – September 19, 2021

Devotion based on Ephesians 4:2-6

See series: Military Devotions

The famous poem declares, “No man is an island.”

We agree. We live our lives connected to other people.

Birth is the tie to families. Geography ties us to neighborhoods and fellow citizens. Similar interests, similar nationalities, and similar uniforms link us to others. So will shared dangers.

Those who have donned the uniform to defend a country share a common bond. The bond tightens under combat. The death of a fellow warrior can bind us together with a knot that refuses to loosen. We then understand the concept of the Band of Brothers.

Emotionally, if no longer physically, we expect to remain tied to such brothers until we draw our last breath.

Is war, then, the strongest bonding agent known to mankind?

No.

Peace is stronger than war.

The greatest unifier is not circumstances or emotions. It is God the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Paul lists the “ones” that make up our unity. The holy Christian church is one body, even as there is just one Holy Spirit who has created faith in us to bring us into the kingdom of God.

We have only one hope: to be able to live forever in the joy of heaven. There is only one Lord Jesus. There is only one faith among all the different people who wait for the day of heaven to dawn. That faith grabs hold of the redemption Christ has won for us.

There is only one baptism that has washed us from sin and given us new life in Christ.

There is only one God the Father “who is over all, and through all, and in all.”

We are a united people. As the people of God, we are united with one another. We are united with the saints and angels in heaven. We are united with the Triune God himself.

The Holy Spirit has done this. The love and mercy of God has permitted this. The death of the Son of God has enabled this.

And what is the result?

“The peace of God that transcends all understanding.”

Where there is perfect peace, there are no divisions that separate. No jealousy, no anger, no disagreement!

If we have peace with God, as the angels announced, what can divide us against one another?

Sin can. Satan can. False teaching can.

The apostle warns: “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them” (Romans 16:17).

We do have enemies who would rob us of our peace with God. Our fight is with them, not with one another.

Our tie is to one another, not to them.

Peace is the tie that binds us to God and everything good.

Military Devotion – September 5, 2021

Devotion based on Genesis 18:23,24

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When we think of days that brought death and destruction, 9/11 and New York City might come to mind. So might Pearl Harbor on a December 7.

Yet neither compares to the death and destruction that rained down upon the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We have seen the pictures. Survivors have told their stories of the horror. We pray such bombs will never fall from the sky again.

But the story of their destruction doesn’t compare to what happened to two cities in the Middle East: Sodom and Gomorrah.

We can only imagine what it was like to have burning sulfur fall from the sky. Buildings burned. So did human flesh.

There was no rebuilding of these cities. They are forever gone. They had rejected God’s laws. Now they faced his judgment. They learned the depth of the saying, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

The sin was sexual perversion. So depraved were the inhabitants that they wanted to rape angels—though they did not know they were not human.

The remarkable backdrop to the story is the visit the Lord God and two angels made with Abraham and Sarah just before that fatal day. The Lord announced to the elderly couple they would have a son. The news was shocking. More shocking news followed.

As the angels headed toward Sodom, the Lord told Abraham what he was about to do. This horrified Abraham. He immediately began to plead that the cities be spared. He asked the Lord, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Perhaps he was thinking of his nephew, Lot, and his family, who lived in Sodom.

He asked, “What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?”

He voiced his concern. “Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Was he really willing to argue with God? Was he really suggesting that God would not do the right thing?

It was not an argument. It was not criticism. It was a plea for mercy.

The result? “The LORD said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’”

But Abraham wasn’t finished. “What about forty-five?” Then “What about forty?” Then “What if thirty are found?” Then “Only twenty?” Then “What if only ten are there who are not guilty of this horrendous defiance of the Holy One?”

Finally, he stopped pleading. The Lord had said, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

But there were not ten. Yet, the Lord did not punish the innocent along with the guilty. Lot, his wife, and his two daughters were allowed to escape. The daughters’ fiancés were offered a chance to go with the survivors—but they chose to stay behind. Lot’s wife turned back to look while already on the path to safety. She was turned to a pillar of salt.

Lot and his two daughters survived. No one else did. Then Abraham “looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.” It was like Hiroshima—but worse.

The lessons are many. The tragic result of defying God is one of them. But there is another. The Bible reminds us: “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

Might we be one of those righteous ones? Remember what was said about Abraham? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).

Since we believe God, we are declared righteous, are we not? Then our prayers must be as powerful and effective as Abraham’s. Are they not?

They are.

It is good to remember that.

Military Devotion – August 22, 2021

Devotion based on 1 Kings 19:9

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He was hiding. He was giving up. He was feeling sorry for himself.

From the heights to the depths! Sometimes, that’s how our lives go.

Just a short time earlier, Elijah was riding the crest of success. He had challenged the priests of Baal and overcome them. The people had shouted, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!” Elijah was a hero. It was an exhilarating feeling. But it didn’t last.

Those emotional highs never do. Not this side of heaven.

When King Ahab told his wife what had happened at Mount Carmel, when he reported the slaughter of the priests of Baal, Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with the threat, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like one of them.”

Elijah panicked. He ran south to Judah, out of her grasp—and he gave up. He wanted to die. “I have had enough, Lord, take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Despite his best efforts, despite some signs of success, it was now clear that he never would gain total victory over his enemies. When he overcame one threat, another took its place. Life seemed to be telling him: “You cannot win.”

At times, we may know how he felt. Sometimes, we also ask, “What’s the use?” Sometimes, just like Elijah, we may want to give up on trying to soldier on.

We, too, may feel down in the dumps.

Those who have fought battles and lost friends in distant lands without seeing total victory might sometimes feel that way.

So might the family struggling to get ahead on bills, only to be hit by another one, and still another.

People who have been fighting against a disease may feel this way. So may those who are trying to adjust to the new normal after a crippling wound—be it with the loss of the use of a limb or the invasion of PTSD.

It makes us wonder, who could blame Elijah for feeling down in the dumps?

The answer is: God.

When the Lord asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” he replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

His mission was obviously hopeless, wasn’t it? In the end, he was a failure, wasn’t he?

No. The final victory did not depend upon him, but upon the Lord, his God. Elijah needed to learn what that meant. So, the Lord showed him.

The Lord told him, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” A powerful wind that shattered rocks came by. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. Then came an earthquake followed by a fierce fire. But the Lord was not in them, either. Then came a gentle whisper.

The Lord was in the whisper.

Sometimes the Almighty works, not with explosive drama, but with quiet gentleness.

Elijah’s tour of duty wasn’t over. He received new orders: “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.”

Elijah had done his part of God’s plan. These people would now continue it.

All was not lost. The Lord revealed: “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

The lesson has been taught: Don’t let feelings rule your life! Don’t judge only by what you can see! The Lord, he is God. Let him be the judge of your life. He is, in fact, Lord of life and death.

When the Lord knew that Elijah’s mission on earth was finally over, he sent a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire inside a tornado to carry him to the home he had longed for when he was down in the dumps.

Military Devotion – August 8, 2021

Devotion based on 1 Kings 18:27

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He showed no mercy. He was not polite. He made fun of their faith. He ridiculed their “higher power.”

He taunted them.

It might make us wonder if Elijah went too far. Perhaps his zeal for the Lord God caused him to cross the line of what was acceptable and God-pleasing.

After all, did not the Lord God love these people? Was the Savior of the world not going to die for these people?

He did love them. He would die for them. In fact, these were some of his chosen people.

They were children of Israel.

And that made the situation much worse.

These were the descendants of Abraham, the heirs of the covenant, relatives of the heroes of faith. How did they end up as fanatic followers of the idol, Baal?

After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel split in two. The northern ten tribes kept the name “Israel.” The southern two tribes called themselves, “Judah.” Jerusalem, with the temple, was in Judah.

To keep the nations apart, the leaders of the northern kingdom set up an alternate temple, an alternate priesthood—essentially an alternate religion. By the time of the prophet Elijah, the worship of idols dominated their religious scene. Under the rule of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, the worship of Baal was the state religion of Israel.

Worshipers of the true God were threatened. Elijah, spokesman of Jehovah, was branded as a traitor and sentenced to death—if ever he could be found. He was in hiding.

At the Lord’s direction, Elijah finally showed himself to Ahab to demand a showdown. He invited the people to gather at Mount Carmel as he confronted the 450 prophets of Baal.

To the people of Israel, he posed the question: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing. They were waiting to see the outcome of the test.

Slaughtered bulls were placed upon two altars with wood underneath. Elijah told the priests of Baal, “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”

The prophets of Baal went first. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.” That’s when Elijah began to taunt them. “So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.”

Still no answer. No fire. Because Baal was no God.

Elijah needed to demonstrate the frailty, the emptiness, and the sinfulness of idolatry. So, he acted boldly.

Idolatry was the work of Satan. Elijah’s taunting was a rejection of the devil and all of his works and all of his ways.

As the day came to an end, they poured water again and again over the altar before Elijah. Following a prayer to the LORD, fire streaked from heaven to burn up the sacrifice, the wood, and even the surrounding stones.

“When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!’” (1 Kings 18:39)

Those prophets of Baal? This was their judgment day. By Elijah’s command, they were brought into the Kishon Valley and slaughtered. All of them.

Surely, this is a warning never to place faith into anything other but the true and living God.

Surely, this is a reminder of the grace of God for sinners that he would send his Son to die for people like us—people who by nature are idolaters, those who tend to fear, love, and trust in things other than God.

Surely, our entire life should be an offering of thanksgiving, service, and praise to the only true Savior God.

Surely, the LORD our God never does sleep. There is never a need to wake him. Never.

Military Devotion – July 25, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 23:34

See series: Military Devotions

We were taught the words when we were very young. Grownups asked, “What do you say?” We replied, “Please.” Again, they asked, “What do you say?” Then, we answered, “Thank you.” They were teaching us. We also learned when to say, “I’m sorry.”

They were like magic words. “Please,” “Thank you,” and “I’m sorry” opened the doors to approval and acceptance. Say those words, and life goes smoother.

After a while, we discovered that we did not necessarily need to mean the words. We just had to say them the right way. Not through gritted teeth. Not as a sneer. Not in anger.

But with politeness, as if we were speaking from our hearts, even though they came only from our mouth.

As we grew older, we found this empty-hearted method also worked with the serious words, such as, “I forgive you.” or “I love you.”

At times we meant those powerful words. But sometimes, they became counterfeit words, empty words, lying words. There was no truth behind those words.

They were just words.

Such words are not God-words.

His words may have come from his mouth, but they have always sprung from his heart.

God’s words are not always polite. They may expose our emptiness and selfishness. They may call us “Liar!” or “Hypocrite!” They may hurt our feelings. But they always accurately express his feelings.

His words are always true. His words are backed up with actions.

Of the forbidden tree in Eden, he said, “when you eat of it, you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). To murderous Cain, he said, “Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand” (Genesis 4:11). To an overconfident Peter he said, “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times” (Mark 14:30).

Which of these words did he not mean? Which warning was not carried out?

They were not just words.

To the Israeli slaves in Egypt, he said, “I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob” (Exodus 6:8). To fisherman Peter and his brother, Andrew, he said, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). To the hostile crowd, he said, “After three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:63).

Which of these words did he not mean? Which promise was not carried out?

They were not just words, were they?

They never are.

When the Savior God tells us, “I forgive you,” there is truth behind those words because there is blood behind those words.

Blood was dripping from his hands and feet when he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

The prayer fits every member of the human race. The ones who were carrying out his execution, those who said, “His blood be upon us and our children,” they had no idea of the depth of the crime against heaven they were committing. So little do we know of the seriousness of our sin—any sin.

“Father, forgive them!” is his continuing prayer for us.

Those words have meaning. They have power. They give forgiveness.

They are more than just words.

Military Devotion – July 11, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 17:17

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It appears that America is going to skip thanksgiving.

No, not that day in November which is spelled with a capital “T” and celebrated with turkey and pumpkin pie. But the giving of thanks to the one who has presented a gift.

The gift in question is the rather rapid discovery of vaccines that are effective against Covid-19.

The giver of the gift is God.

Indeed, there have been expressions of appreciation for those who worked on the vaccines. Parades are planned to honor those who risked their health by tending to people who were afflicted.

That is only proper.

But the Ruler of the universe should not be forgotten. He can both bring disease, and he can end it. He once told his people: “I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus15:26).

Infectious diseases have plagued humans for eons. Old Testament Law decreed that a person who broke out with leprosy must leave his family and quarantine himself with other lepers. As the disease progressed, parts of the body, such as fingers and toes, began to drop off. There was no cure. There was only the prospect of a miserable, painful, and lonely life.

One day, as Jesus was walking to a village, a group of lepers called out from a safe distance: “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

They must have heard the reports of Jesus performing miraculous healings. They begged for his help.

They did not expect his response. He simply told them, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”

By Law, that is what a person was to do if the symptoms of leprosy went away. If the priest saw no longer any sign of the disease, he was to pronounce the person free to return to normal life. The quarantine restriction would be lifted.

But these lepers were sent to the priest before they were cured. Their leprosy was still evident as they headed off. They needed to trust that they would be healed before they reached the point of inspection.

They were. We hear: “As they went, they were cleansed.”

We can imagine their joy. We can envision their eagerness to get back to family and friends and a normal life.

In their excitement and relief, we can also understand how some of them neglected to thank the one who had healed them. We understand because we easily do the same.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”

Those words might make us wince. Sadly, sometimes we are among the “other nine.”

Like them, it isn’t that we don’t trust Jesus. We will go on record to declare that he is our Lord and Savior. We have saving faith.

But sometimes, it is also a forgetful faith, a self-centered faith. Sometimes we act as if we are entitled to special blessings from the Lord God. Sometimes we pout when we don’t get them and become ungrateful when we do.

This is more than a weakness and more serious than a mistake. To forget about thanking him is wrong. That makes it a sin.

Fortunately, he has the remedy for our sin. He has forgiveness.

The warrior king, David, knew this. He invites us to join him in saying, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2,3).

No, we will not skip thanksgiving.

Military Devotion – June 27, 2021

Devotion based on Isaiah 42:8

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The old song says, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I would have no luck at all.”

Hard-faced reality says, “Actually, you do have no luck at all. Never did. Never will. There is no such thing as ‘luck.'”

To put faith in luck is to put faith in an idol.

But before we go around leveling idolatry charges against people, we need to clarify the possible meanings of the word “luck.”

After a hole-in-one, we might say, “That was a lucky shot.” What we mean is, “That was unexpected and not likely to be repeated.” After a fishing trip, a person might ask, “Have any luck?” He probably means, “Have any success?”

But sometimes, luck is being counted on or hoped for as a means to achieve success or prevent bad things from happening.

Trusting in luck is putting faith in a fake god.

It happens easy enough and often enough to make this a common spiritual crime.

We may have fallen into that habit. We surely have seen it happen with people around us.

We could probably come up with a long list of items that have been used as lucky charms. They can range from a rabbit’s foot to a certain coin, to a special rubber band.

It isn’t that we doubt the care and protection of the holy God; it’s just that it makes us feel better to have that “lucky” thing with us.

But when we boil it down to basics, we are telling ourselves that it is not enough to have the power of the Almighty and his angels watching out for us. We need extra protection.

The heathen people who lived around the Old Testament and early Christian believers would have understood this. In fact, that’s what they wanted from the believers. That’s the way they accepted the presence of God.

They trusted in the gods of rivers and trees, the gods of the clouds and the stars. If believers wanted to worship Jehovah as god, they had no problem with that. They would join them.

But to worship Jehovah as God, as the only God—that they would challenge. If there is only one God, that would mean their faith in their idols is wrong, is worthless.

In this, they were correct.

Even idols made of gold and jewels cannot see, cannot speak, and cannot save.

What can a golden calf or a lucky coin do about the guilt of sin? What can any earthly item do to appease the anger of the Holy God? What does luck have to do with escaping from the decree, “The wages of sin is death”?

The holy Lord God does not need a helper to protect us. He accepts no one and no thing to stand next to him in power and glory.

In his Son Jesus, who conquered sin, death, and the devil, there you have the answer. No one else! Nothing else. The Bible declares, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts:4:12).

He who can save us from the wages of sin can save us from the sniper—if that is his will. It comes down to a matter of trusting that he knows what is best for us and will bring that about.

It takes faith to mean it when we say, “Thy will be done.”

The order from on high is: “Fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

There is no need for luck. No place for it in our lives.

Military Devotion – June 13, 2021

Devotion based on Hebrews 13:8

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The year was 1970. The place was Norfolk, VA. He was a sailor with a young family. His face brightened as he talked about his plans for retirement.

He would use the training the Navy had given him and return to his hometown to open a TV repair shop.

Years later, the day after his retirement ceremony, he went right back through the same gate he had used for years, to basically the same job as before. But now, as a civilian contractor.

He never did leave Norfolk.

What happened? What about that dream to return to the small town in Wisconsin?

He discovered the hometown had changed. Many friends and family were gone. No one was having TV sets repaired any longer. They just replaced them.

The world had changed. His dream changed with it.

What could he do but shrug his shoulders and say, “That’s the way it goes”?

It does go that way in our lives. Changes are a part of life—and that’s not all bad.

Already at creation, the Lord God built changes into human lives. Days changed to nights. One season followed another. Changes make life interesting. We welcome such changes.

But some changes are not welcome. We want to stay healthy, not become sick. We don’t want to move to a place we dislike. We don’t want accident or disease to radically change our life.

We want to be able to hold onto the good times and the good things. We want those near and dear to us always to stay near—to always stay dear.

But changes come. We move on. We move away. We lose dear ones. Sometimes people we treasured are still near, but sadly, they are no longer dear to us.

They have changed. Or maybe we have changed. Surely, our world has changed.

The words of the hymn come to mind, “Change and decay in all around I see.”

The older we grow, the more unwanted changes we tend to see.

If there is going to be stability in our life, if we are going to make plans for the critical times of our life, we will need to know what will not change.

We need solid ground to stand upon when everything seems to be swirling around us.

We need the Lord God. We need the Rock of our salvation.

We don’t know what will happen by the time we wake up tomorrow. We don’t know if war will break out or if another plague will strike our planet.

But Jesus does.

Better yet, we know that we can count upon him just as the disciples did.

We can count on him to remain the same teacher and protector that he always was. He will always be our friend.

He will always be our Savior. His death guarantees that payment for our sin is completed.

When our years of service here on earth are finished, he will lead us to our heavenly retirement home.

What a retirement!

It’s not too early to plan for that. Not too early to already start thanking him for that.

Military Devotion – May 31, 2021

Devotion based on Deuteronomy 11:2

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It is not a day to celebrate—the one they call Memorial Day.

It is a day for remembering.

It is a day for remembering loss.

Picnics and parks do not fit as well into the day as do gravestones and flags.

It is a day for remembering loss.

The young do not understand the day. We must teach them.

Those who have never trained for war, those who have never fought in war, they do not understand war. Do not understand the cost.

Those who have paid the price of freedom must instruct those who have only enjoyed the pleasure of freedom.

Otherwise, freedom may be lost.

Those who have sweated and fought and killed on foreign shores to protect those who lived in comfort with home-cooked meals need not be reminded to remember loss.

They live with those memories.

Many of them wonder why their body does not lie in a grave marked by an American flag on this Memorial Day.

Some feel guilty that it does not.

The Christian warrior understands the reason for being spared. That warrior knows that survival is not due to superior skill or weapons.

Life and death lie in the hands of God Almighty.

It is something to remember on Memorial Day.

Deliverance came from the good God not from good luck.

That is a sobering thought. It is a somber truth.

It is something to remember. It is something to be shared.

Life itself, much less a life lived in freedom, is not our inalienable right.

It is an undeserved gift from the gracious God.

This is something to remember. Something to teach others.

Ancient Israel was to remember to teach this to its children.

The march to the Promised Land took over forty years to complete. People who were children when crossing the Red Sea became the parents or grandparents of those born in the land of Israel.

Those who survived the plagues and the poisonous snakes, they had experienced the discipline of the Lord. Those who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, they saw his majesty. Those who first ate the manna, who saw enemy attacks fail, they saw him deliver with his mighty hand, his outstretched arm.”

They remembered how the Lord delivered Israel. They were to teach the next generation.

Those who remember how the Lord delivered America are to teach the next generation.

We do remember loss on this day. But mostly, we remember what America has gained and the final deliverance already won.

To God alone the glory!

Military Devotion – May 16, 2021

Devotion based on Acts 1:9

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The One who holds the stars in space and watches over fish in the deep does nothing without a purpose.

Sometimes, we wonder why he does some of the things in certain ways. Sometimes, we don’t even notice what he is doing.

Questions come to our mind about the appearances of Jesus after Easter. We might wonder why he did not suddenly appear before the Jewish leaders who had denounced him.

Would it not have been a shock for Pilate to see Jesus appear before him to say, “Why didn’t you listen to your wife?” We wonder how the policies of the Roman government might have changed if their own governor reported that Jesus of Nazareth was able to overcome death?

We do learn that Jesus did appear to many following his resurrection. But he did so only to those who had already believed he had come from God as the Messiah.

We wonder why.

We learn that he had not come to earth merely to impress humans, surely not to entertain them. He was careful where and how he worked his miracles. There was a purpose behind his every action.

The apostle John tells us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

“We have seen his glory…”

The apostle Peter makes the same claim. “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).

“We were eyewitnesses…”

The very early followers of Jesus did not have the New Testament to refer to. The news of life in Jesus spread by word of mouth.

But some mouths carried false rumors. Purposely misleading stories began when the soldiers were bribed to say that someone had stolen the body of Jesus. He did not rise from the dead.

If Jesus was not there to correct them, enemies could lie about what Jesus said and did.

Eyewitnesses, however, changed things.

These were people who had heard the angels and seen the empty grave. Two others had talked and walked with him on the way to Emmaus. His disciples had watched him eat and drink. They observed Thomas placing his finger into holes in the hands and side of the resurrected Jesus.

They were eyewitnesses of his victory over death.

Then, they watched him as he ascended.

To the question, “Whatever happened to Jesus of Nazareth?” they could answer: “We saw him leave for heaven.”

Jesus did not need to spend time to travel over the distance from the earth to heaven. In a flash, he would be back home.

But he didn’t leave the earth in a blink of an eye. He slowly lifted off from this planet so that everyone present could see him do that with their own eyes. Had a satellite been circling the earth at that time, it could have recorded his ascension until the moment when he shifted into something far greater than warp drive.

He had told them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

They promptly began to spread the word. Some of them were inspired by Holy Spirit to write down what they saw. Even now, we can read their words in the book we call the Bible.

Eyewitnesses saw the life, death, resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus.

By the work of the Holy Spirit, we can now see what they saw then.

We do so in great wonder.

Military Devotion – May 2, 2021

Devotion based on Isaiah 2:5

See series: Military Devotions

Too often, I find myself walking in yesterday’s shadow.

“God is light,” we are told, “and in him there is no darkness at all.”

Why, then, do I so often find myself living in a shadow?

I know what causes the shadow. The darkness comes when I step off from God’s path. Doubt, dread, and shame dim the brightness that comes from the Holy One.

So does fear.

Sometimes, I find fear when I find myself walking near the valley of the shadow of death. I should fear no evil. But I do.

I find I cannot leave yesterday behind. Its shadow follows me into the night. It is there when I awake to the new day.

I cannot just forget the past and move on. I feel I must fix the past. But I cannot undo what has been done. I cannot go back in time and make things right. I cannot turn darkness into day.

The new day may not dawn as dark as the old. But if even a shadow of it remains, my soul feels the weight.

King David knew what that was like, and he knew who was applying the pressure. He wrote: “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:4).

So, God had applied pressure upon David. Is God the one who causes the darkness? Is he the one who removes my joy? Is this how he punishes me?

No.

He comes to scatter the darkness. He comes to heal, not to hurt.

But healing can be painful.

King David had lived for a long time in a misery of his own making. Adultery and murder had cast long shadows. No matter if his people did not know of his crimes, he knew, and he staggered under the weight of the guilt.

Each yesterday handed off the guilt to the next day. Like the darkness at noon on Good Friday, the sunshine of God’s favor was being blotted out.

Until…

Until he admitted his guilt and turned to God for forgiveness. He wrote, “I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD“—and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

He added this prayer: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12).

With guilt gone, there is no barrier to joy.

The psalmist declares: “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

The answer is, No one! Nothing!

The shadow of doubt and fear must fade in the light of God’s presence.

The path of the child of God is clear now. It is written, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Yesterday’s shadows must always give way to the light of the Lord.

Military Devotion – April 18, 2021

Devotion based on Revelation 14:8 KJV

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There is such a thing as an evil empire. History has shown us that despicable kingdoms can exist, that vicious and heartless powers can rule.

Examples quickly come to mind—those who systematically rounded up Jews for extermination qualify for our list of evil. Then we think of the purges in Russia and China that brought death to so many thousands.

We have seen a sinister type of evil that uses its position to torture others. American POWs have been on the receiving end of that.

We don’t forget that.

Neither could the Jews in the first century forget that the Babylonians had once smashed through their defenses, destroyed the Lord’s temple, slaughtered innocent people—and dragged many off to live out their lives as captives in a foreign land.

We hear the bitterness of those captives in their psalm of lament:
“O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us—
he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks” (Psalm 137:8,9).

The bitterness seared Israeli hearts.

Babylon was a world power, seemingly invincible, with its capital a little north of Baghdad. For Israel of old, it represented the embodiment of evil.

Yet, far in advance of its downfall, the prophet, Isaiah, announced, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen!”

It was not a false claim. It was merely given before it absolutely would happen. Babylon fell overnight. The new Persian king freed the captives and let them go home if they wanted to.

It’s no wonder that centuries later, “Babylon” came to symbolize all the enemies of God’s people for all time, with Satan as its head.

No surprise then that the great evil empire’s destruction is announced in advance—just as ancient Babylon’s fall was.

The holy, powerful God has spoken. The angel in the book of Revelation can announce: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen!” The kingdom of evil is fallen. Thus, the Lord God has decreed.

But we don’t see that when we look out through our window on the world. The kingdom of evil seems to show itself alive and well—and growing.

Families are falling apart. Children are being raised without a moral compass. Modern technology has speeded up the spread of falsehood and filth.

The number of people that say there is no God or that God is not relevant is increasing.

Murder is on the rise. Rejection of Christian values is mounting.

God is openly disrespected—even in the land that declares, “In God We Trust.”

Each year it only seems to be getting worse.

Thus, we need to hear the true state of affairs. The announcement from heaven is: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.”

The death knell of evil was sounded when the Son of God called out, “It is finished!”

When Jesus descended into hell after coming back to life, it was not to endure suffering. It was his victory lap in the arena of the damned. The war had been won. Only mopping up remains.

Warriors know about the dangers during mopping-up actions. The defeated can still kill. Likewise, Christians need to watch out lest they be laid low by Satan’s spiritual IEDs and snipers that aim to kill saving faith.

We have not yet left the battlefield. We have not been told to “Stand down!” Not yet. OPSEC must be maintained. We must stay alert.

But there is no doubt about Babylon, that kingdom of evil.

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen.”

It is fallen indeed!

Military Devotion – April 4, 2021

Devotion based on Psalm 118:17

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For me, Easter is very personal. For me, it is a matter of life or death.

I realize that millions of people celebrate that day, and over time, there have been billions of them that did so. I admit that I do not personally know any of the people who have a role in the Easter story. Surely, none of the angels.

But I do know the one who rose from the dead on that day.

Frankly, I’m glad I was not there on Easter morning. For the followers of Jesus, the day dawned dreadful. They had spent the last two days in shock and confusion. A week ago, they were filled with excitement and hope. But then, the unthinkable, the seemingly impossible, happened.

Jesus was arrested. Jesus was sentenced. Jesus was dead.

What now? Where did that leave them?

They had placed their hopes upon him as the Messiah, the Savior of Israel. They trusted him. They believed in him. What now?

They had been moved by his words. “No man has spoken like this!” they said. But history has recorded powerful words of others who now lie in their graves.

He did work miracles, did he not? Or were they fake? Or were the Pharisees right? Did he work miracles by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils?

Was this all a fraud? Were his promises empty? He had said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” But he did not stay alive. He died in weakness, just as billions of people before him.

The famous apostle put it plainly: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

For me, Easter is a matter of life or death.

I’m glad I was not in Jerusalem on that day. I fear I would have been distraught. I might have been tempted to think maybe Judas had the right idea. Why live if hope has been dashed? If faith has been lost?

But I have an advantage over the disciples and the others. I have the whole story before me. It begins with earth formless and empty, with the Spirit of God hovering over the waters.

It ends with the Spirit of God quoting Jesus, the risen Son of God, telling us, “Behold! I am coming soon!”

He rose from the dead, and he will return to take his people home with him.

The Easter sun evaporated doubt and confusion as the day progressed. More reports came from the empty tomb. Angels have been seen. Witnesses repeated their words to others: “He is not here! He is risen!”

He began to appear to some people: a weeping Mary Magdalene and a confused Peter. Towards evening, two disciples returned from Emmaus excitedly reporting that Jesus had walked with them on the road.

Then suddenly, there he was in the room with them, though the doors were locked.

So, it is true! He does live. He has conquered death. Job was right when he had declared, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19:25).

So was the psalmist right who looked forward in time to see the meaning of Easter: “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.”

So am I when I tell you, “I may die, but I shall live!”

But I shall live.

And you can, too.

Military Devotion – March 28, 2021

Devotion based on Zechariah 9:9

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The Roman troops deployed to Jerusalem in the province of Judea did not know that this day would be called Palm Sunday.

They were, however, very aware that the festival of the Passover was approaching. They could expect big crowds to jam city streets. Jews from near and far would come to celebrate the time when Israel broke free from Egypt. Overnight, they went from slavery to freedom.

The story was told that the firstborn in every Egyptian household was found dead in the middle of that night. Soon afterward, its mighty army perished in the Red Sea. It was whispered that the people of Israel were protected by a mysterious force. Their history was filled with amazing stories of divine intervention.

But that was all in the past. The Assyrians had decimated these same people, and those in Judea had been taken as captives of war to Babylon. Since they returned, they had no standing army and no king.

Yet, the soldiers knew that violence could break out at any time—especially at a time like this. There was a group called the Zealots that vowed to kill as many Roman soldiers as possible. They were a standing threat.

Now, a new threat put them on high alert. Among the crowd expected to pour into Jerusalem was a rabbi known as Jesus of Nazareth. He had drawn crowds numbering into the thousands at times. Reports of his miracles had spread. It was said that he even raised the dead. Some even claimed he called himself the Son of God.

More disturbing was the rumor that he was the Jewish Messiah. Some expected the coming Messiah to set himself up as a king. He would drive the hated Romans out of the Promised Land.

To the deployed soldiers, that seemed an empty threat. But any insurrection could turn ugly and dangerous—and arouse the displeasure of those in power back in Rome. Careers could be ruined. Blame could easily be thrown around. The consequences could be painful.

Rebellion was not tolerated by Rome. Those who failed to quickly suppress it were not tolerated either. The troops were on edge.

Word spread quickly when Jesus began to make his entrance into Jerusalem ahead of the Passover. Reports came in that huge crowds were cheering him. Worse, he was arriving the way the old Jewish kings had traveled. He was on a young donkey—just as the ancient writing had predicted the king would come.

The crowds called out “Hosanna!” which was high praise. They were laying down cloaks and branches in his path. They were calling him the “Son of David.”

David had been a famous Jewish king. Were they saying that this Jesus had now come to rule as an heir to his throne?

A prophet had written long ago that the day would come when Jerusalem would break out in celebration. That would be the day on which her powerful king rode into the city.

Roman soldiers were inclined to write the prophecy off as foolish. “Behold your king?” What a joke! If the one riding the donkey claimed to be the king of the Jews, they would easily overpower him. They would make him a laughingstock before his own people.

They did do that. But it wasn’t so easy. In fact, it became a bit frightening. The sun stopped shining at noon on the day of his execution. The words he spoke while dying were strange. He was heard calling out to his Father. He asked his Father to forgive those who were killing him. He wasn’t as much killed as he died by giving up his life into his Father’s hands. Hard to forget!

The centurion in charge of the execution detail was heard to cry out, “Surely, this was the Son of God!”

And then, this Jesus came back from the dead! Soldiers had been there when it happened. They were bribed to keep quiet and tell a lie. But the word spread.

“Behold your king!” The ancient message wasn’t just meant for the Jews.

It also meant, “Roman soldier, behold your King!” For he was.

It also means, “American soldier, behold your King!” For he is.

It’s the voice of God calling out, calling out still: “World, behold you King!” For he surely is.

Military Devotion – March 14, 2021

Devotion based on Numbers 21:8,9

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If you want to get people’s attention, throw a batch of poisonous snakes among them.

It surely caught the attention of the Israelites. They were marching from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. They had seen the Lord work miracle after miracle to protect them. But they were growing tired. They were growing impatient. They were fed up with God and his ways.

We hear: “…they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

The “miserable food” they spoke of could more rightly be called “miraculous food.” Maybe 1.5 million of them were passing through wilderness areas. How could they feed themselves? They couldn’t. They didn’t. Instead, God provided bread (they called it manna) that appeared on the ground in the morning, and he sent in quail in the evening.

It’s a sad story of not appreciating what God has done. It’s a familiar story. And sometimes, it is our story.

It seems it is only human nature to want something different from what God provides. It is sinful human nature to gripe and complain, to feel we deserve more. Even if God is waiting on us, literally hand and foot, we complain about the service. We surely are not ready to leave him a tip or even a thank you.

Do humans think that God is deaf? Do they expect he will just shrug his shoulders, grin and bear it? If so, they do not know God. People living today need to learn from the past. The history of the nation of Israel presents us with vivid lessons.

We hear: “Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.”

The wages of sin is death.

The lesson was learned: “The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.”

The prayer was answered, but not in a manner expected.

Moses was told: “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”

That didn’t make sense to human minds. What was needed was antivenom. What good would a look do? What good would the figure of a snake lifted up on a pole do?

The answer? “Only believe, and thou shalt see…”

Over a thousand years later, the Son of God would say, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14,15).

That’s as foolish as thinking that the metal snake on a pole would keep people from dying from snakebite. Isn’t it?

Or is it? What about, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)?

Those who believed while in the wilderness, they lived, did they not?

Those who believe in the Son of Man, they will live, will they not?

Indeed! They will live forever.