Soldier of The Cross, He has asked you to serve only one Master.    That means that He alone must be worshipped.    Many in Christian worship Christian service.  They set admirable goals and spend themselves to accomplish something that fits a standard of Christian success.    In the process, the devotional life is often  ignored, resulting in burnout and frustration.    He made clear which are the two foremost commandments.    In Him we live and move and have our being.  He is not a goal.  He is everything.  He has  explosive delight and newness for the obedient Soldier of  The Cross.  He withholds no good thing.     If He is really your priority, you will be free to enjoy things that now seem to need constant inventory.    The great hymn writers call the Soldier of The Cross to boldly take Him at His Word.     There is nothing else.  There is no one else.    Time is short.  It must not be wasted.

   It is not possible to serve the Lord without encounteringthose who are in opposition to everything good.    The problem comes when you try to understand everything and make sense of things that do not make sense.    Why did He say that we should roll our burdens on Him?  Because there are some things that we do  not have the capacity to bear.        How does The Soldier of The Cross relate to this?    What did He endure?  Did it make sense?  Was it fair?  How did He deal with His enemies?    He forgave them and He went about the business of The Father.    You must decide where your attention will be.     Look at the things that need to be done.    Look at the things that are eternal.     Look at those who are pressing hard after Him.    Look at the need of the one before you.       Soldier of The Cross,  bury yourself in God's Word, pray in agreement with Him and deal with the next thing according to God's Word and in the Power of the Holy Spirit.    Refuse distraction.    Look up and move on.

     Soldier of The Cross, remember the Great Commission.     We are not instructed to bring anyone into  a system.  We have not been instructed to bring anyone into an institution.  We have  been commanded to take the Gospel to the whole world.    It is about Love and Obedience.     He will take care of who should go to what church.     We must Love unconditionally and  make every effort to take the Gospel to every corner of the earth.

   Those who have met the Lord know about the fruit of the Holy Spirit.    The problem is,  the experience does  not always line up with the verses. Why is this?    It is because there can be no infilling of the Holy Spirit until there is room for Him.  Yes, all who are born from Above are given the Holy Spirit Seal of Promise  as the earnest of the Inheritance.  But the power of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life is in direct proportion to that Christian's agreement with God.    What does it mean to be a Soldier of The Cross?  Why does The Soldier of The Cross experience the Indwelling Holy Spirit in a way that the nominal Christian does not?    Because of agreement with God.    He whose Name is The Word, came, dies and rose again in the sight of all of  human history.   He made no bones about His priorities - the Will of The Father.   To be a Soldier of The Cross, you must cross The Line.  You must make the decision to do all things His way.  When you are not able, you must tell Him, and He will enable you.    There is no compromise.     There is no excuse.    There is no disguise.  Heaven sees all.    Do you claim to have suffered to some exceptional degree? Does it com pare to His?  Is there some verse in the Bible that gives you permission to lick your wounds?  If you are suffering from a victim mentality, you are not in agreement with God with regard to His sovereignty.    You must be willing to agree with God.    You are His by faith, or you are your own by sight.    There is no middle ground for The Soldier of The Cross.

   Those who agree with God are those who have accepted the simple fact that God is sovereign.    He says He listens to His Own and does the thing that is best for them.  Do you believe it?    He says He has already robbed the world of its power to harm you.  Do you believe it?    Are you worried about money?  He said He would provide your every need.  Do you believe He knows what you need better than you do?    You have committed your children to Him.  Do you believe He knows best, even when it appears your children are wandering in circles?    If He is sovereign, is He permitted to use your body in any way that glorifies Him?    If you agree that He is sovereign, why can't you tell Him He can do absolutely anything He wants to with your life?    If you trust Him, you will tell Him you are wholly His.    His Plan is not limited by time or human frailty.

   Soldier, do not miss the moment    We serve a Lord who has already designed an eternity of delight beyond any human concept.    He died for us.    He rose to make a Place for us.    He sits on the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us.    He is our Advocate.      He is the Beginning and The End.    Nothing is too great for Him.    Those who are His should be dwelling in and reveling in the Sabbath Rest.    We are forgiven.    We are sighted.    We are Loved.    We are free.

   What are your goals in this life?    Most certainly, the first priority must be to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and to be a Soldier of The Cross.    What are the issues that are settled in your soul?    Have you decided that He is right no matter what?    Have you decided that you must invest in eternity?    Have you decided that Jesus is the Son of God?    Have you agreed with God that it is your reasonable service to be a Living Sacrifice?    Soldier, we all agree, there is nothing better.  There is nothing else of eternal value.  There is no other place with a greater return of investment.    So we follow Him.  We visit those in prison.  In nursing homes.  We minister to missionaries.  We attend to those who have no support or are ill.    As long as you are able, use your body and your faculties to reveal Jesus.  Look into the eyes of the one in front of you.  Determine to be personal.  Listen carefully.  Respond warmly.  Pray faithfully.    We live one day at a time.     We follow one day at a time.    We minister one day at a time.    We give one day at a time.    We pray with eternity in mind.

   Is there any greater thrill than serving the King of Kings?    Before you met Him, you were either numb or insecure.  You were paranoid or bored.  You were myopic or the master of human overview.    Soldier of The Cross, you fall in a unique category.  For you,  earthly life is  an opportunity to invest in eternity.     Life is an opportunity to take up The Cross and Follow Him.    Is there someone you know who is all about Jesus?    Is there someone you know who is in Love with His Word?     Is there someone you know who is devoted to The Body of Christ?     Is there someone you know who give sacrificially to those who are without?    Is there someone you know who makes your heart burn an explode to know and serve the Lord?    Be with that one.  Pray with that one.   Do whatever you must do to to be with His Own.    Can you name anything of more substance?

   Soldier of The Cross, without a Vision, the People Perish!    You are included.    Where does momentum originate?  From vision.   From the incentive that is divinely originated.     God's Word.  Read the Bible.  He is the only Authority.    Cling to Him and  press on.

   Some Christians treat the Bible as though it were a proposition from God.    It it not a proposition.  It is the revelation of a Person.  It is also the way in which God makes it clear that He is giving notice concerning the consequences of  ignoring Him.  God makes no bones about the choices that must be made.    He has given mankind choice.  Man enjoys a level of choice that is not experienced by the rest of creation.  The Bible lays out what it takes to choose Him and to choose eternity with Him.  It is not complicated, but it is compelling.    Soldier of The Cross, you have chosen Him and you have crossed the Line of Discipleship and Service.    You must continue to choose Him and His ways if you want His Reward.   There is power to choose.  Power to choose just because He said it is the right choice.    Many things will make sense on the other side.  Right now,  it is about agreeing with God.