Daily Devotionals by Ardith Keef

       The Soldier of the Cross must pack his bags lightly.
     I am always amazed when believers have closets and closets and rooms full if "just-in-case" things, because we don't live here. We are only passing through.
     A few years ago a well-known Christian woman said to me "Please don't bring me a Christmas present unless I can eat it or read it. The older I get, the more determined I am to get rid of things and not leave this world with a big pile of things to mark my going."
     Just after that, I heard a wonderful missionary challenge delivered by the head of one of the world's finest mission boards. Among other things, he said "You can always tell how serious a missionary is about the land he is called to by how much 'stuff' he leaves behind. If he leaves dozens of boxes and lots of furniture, you know he isn't committed. If he sells it and gives it away, you know he is going out with no strings attached."
     We can enjoy plenty and we can glory in famine, but we may not put any preciousness in possessions. A Soldier of the Cross must learn to let the Lord have it all and not cling to things as a way to secure tomorrow.
     We have come to live much like the rest of the world - treasuring rather than care-taking the things we are allowed to have.
     The Lord giveth and the :Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
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