To be or not to be: A representative of Christ.

Two things came to my mind recently

• First was a race track and an athlete. In running a race, the worst thing you can do is look behind at the track you just covered, you miss out on where you should be going and you don't focus on where you should be, you miss out on two things. Two hours, days, months, years ago, you were most likely great in the kingdom, doing things for God and all. Right now maybe you are still great still doing things, maybe you are not, but then where is your focus? On the things that are and could be or the things that were?
• We all have or at least most of us have watched the movie 300, there was a part of the movie that struck me, the part where the king of Arcadia asked Leonidas why he brought so few men... Leonidas made a very fine distinction between the men of Sparta and Arcadia.. Spartans being born warriors, all they did was fight and die in battle and they spent every day of their lives living towards that purpose.
Why these two thoughts, we say we are children of God, and are representatives yet most times we specify when we chose to act our role as representatives rather than live our every moments to the glory of God. Put on the whole armor of God; from the breastplate of righteousness to the sword of the spirit. A good warrior is known not just by his known fighting ability of old but by his readiness for battle. A warrior's blade is never dull, but is kept sharp at all times. Our sword is the word, the word of God and it is kept sharp by our constant reading and meditation. We are however more than soldiers, we are the light and flavor of the world and anything other than that isn't.


I look at two different people from the bible Daniel and Paul. One thing characterized the life of Daniel, his daily life of meditation and his knowledge of God's word. Even at the cost of his life he kept to his lifestyle not compromising it for one bit.
Paul had three missionary journeys. Three not one, not one of them was first class, not one of them was rosy and the third one actually led to his death. One would have been just fine, two would have been wonderful. Enough to be proud of for the rest of his life but he didn't dwell there but kept on pressing on for what he believed and for what he stood for.
We all have individual swords in our individual lives, our knowledge of God's word and our ability to meditate on it. We cannot and I mean cannot use another man’s sword to fight our battles. It could and probably would lead to disaster (ask the sons of Sceva, Acts 19:13-16).
We all have our individual races to run, races determined by God (before you were born He knew you). There is only one athlete on that track and that you. The christian life is no competition no one answers to God but you so there is no need to use people you think you are better than to console yourself and stay where you are. Press on and keep pressing to the very end. Not just in words and deeds but by the very lifestyle you live.
There is a warning in the passage (Matthew 21:28-32), a warning Jesus gave during his time on earth, a warning I believe so properly describes the world today. We spend so much time haggling about the readiness of others that most times we fail to miss the fact that the time spent in analyzing others is time not spent preparing ourselves (hence the individuality of our race).
Also as a soldier there was a warning Paul gave to Timothy about getting entangled with the affairs of this world (2 Tim 2:3-4). Entangled meaning so wrapped up in it that you forget who you are, a soldier, ambassador, temple, a representative of God. We are who we are not just because it feels good to be so; we are here because it is what we were called out to be. Finally there is the passage from Ephesians 6:11-18

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The various parts of our armor that makes us what we are. Lack of one or more of them makes us ineffective soldiers. As a soldier polishes his armor and sharpens his sword, in the same way we ought to exercise the various parts to be able to use them fully as they ought to be.