Battle Plan

I'm not a real warrior.  I live my comfortable, secure, safe and privileged life because of the countless men and women who have warred on my behalf.  I live in their debt.

Deuteronomy 20:1-9 made me think about war.  First to pay tribute to these many souls who know or have known real war and then to consider what these scriptures say to me.

"Gone" "Over" "No" "End" "Lost"  "Not you"  These words are just a few of the "wars" I have faced or may face in my privileged existence.  They represent the challenges of life.  Times when life does not go according to my rosy plan.

I noticed that verse one begins with when you go to war not "if."  The challenges of life are near certain.  Some we can wisely avoid.  Others happen no matter how I try to control.

The following verses give me advice to face the battles of my life:

1.  Don't be afraid, God is with me.  I need to remember who God is, what He has done for me in my past and that He has chosen me and given me a future.

2.  Seek spiritual counsel.  I need to seek and find those spiritual folks who will point me to remember who God is, what He has done for me in my past and that He has chosen me and given me a future.

3.  Don't be distracted by home, harvest and/or heart.

4. Don't surround yourself with  those who  might cause you  to panic.

5.  Get organized.

I attended a high school graduation where 8 students shared a few moments of reflection for their fellow students. Five of those messages centered on fear.  In the midst of one of the most exciting achievements of their lives so far, they faced fear in this  giant change in their young lives.  The speakers also recognized that while fear may be the obstacle, newness awaited in the future.  Each had "words of wisdom" to encourage the young people to take the challenges of life and treat them as opportunities.

Fear of change and the unknown is a war that we all face. A life challenge can also be an opportunity.  Those same words, gone, over, end, not you, no, can also be the beginning. God knows the outcome.  He will always be with me, just as He has always been with me.   

 

 

 

My daily goal

It’s about lying.”  I announced loudly to the television.  The “talking heads” were discussing a politician’s dilemma.  There seemed to be too much situational ethics being used and I felt the need to point out to my young son and the “talking heads” that the real issue was not privacy but lying.

Our society is based on honesty.  It will only work if the citizens maintain a dedication to honesty in all areas of life.

Deuteronomy chapter 19 made me think, “why would cities of refuge, land boundaries and false witness be grouped together in one chapter.  I realize that the chapter breaks were added many centuries after Deuteronomy was written but these topics made me think that the common denominator is honesty.

The cities of refuge only works if the person seeking refuge is honest and admits there was consequence from his action, if the city leaders are honest enough to administer the refuge and if the victim’s family will be honest and respect the refuge status of the city.

Verse 14 is very plain with the admonition to not move a boundary stone.  This statement tells me that it is dishonest to expand your land ownership by simply moving the marker stone when no one is looking. 

The remaining verses explain the necessity of two or three witnesses, not just one, to convict a person of any crime and spells out the remedy in the event a malicious witness takes the stand.

I might summarize the chapter with the statement, “Honesty is the best policy.”  That is a challenge for today’s world.  Every day we are given a new warning that leads us to mistrust the honest intent of an email, a document or a person. 

It seems there are so many more dishonest people and scams to be wary.  When I did an internet search to find out the source of "Honesty is the best policy"  there was an instruction to "click here" to find out.  I've been on the internet enough to know that will most likely lead me to information I don't want.(By the way, many attribute the saying to Ben Franklin, Shakespeare or Don Quixote but it was probably Sir Edwin Sandys  in 1599, an English politician in the Virginia Company which founded Jamestown.)

These verses are about protection, possession and power.  They warn us not to use protection, possession and power to be dishonest to gain more protection, possession and power.

We live in a world where people think they must justify their actions.  Too often the justification is "it's not my fault," "I'm a victim," "I didn't know..."  We even think we can be dishonest with God we have so much practice in the world.

We do need to be justified in our actions because we live in a dishonest world and we have hearts that lean to the dishonest.  The only justification that will save us is  the justification given by God.  God will make it "just as if I hadn't sinned" but I have to be honest, completely and totally honest, with God.  I must be honest and admit that I need a Savior. 

Hallelujah, God knew me and had a plan for my rescue from a life in a world of dishonesty. God gave me the protection, possession and power to use for His glory, not for my personal gain. My daily goal is to be honest with others and with God.