Gingerbread Crumbs & Company

"A good soldier," it has been said, "both abstains and sustains." This is what it means to endure hardness. A good soldier has not only to fight in aggressive conflict; he has to withstand in defensive warfare. His power is seen far more in what he can bear than in what he can do. How applicable all this is spiritually! To be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, we must know the discipline of laying aside every encumbrance, every weight, every entanglement. By actual experience we must learn to "refuse" as well as how to accept. We often lose as much by yielding to the allurements of the world as we do by failing to claim the provisions of grace. The "hardness" that is essential to being a "good soldier" can be brought about only by the discipline of trial, and loyalty to this law of the kingdom--that we "please Him who hath chosen" us to be His soldiers. Character is formed by conduct, and good conduct is the outcome of a living faith in a personal Savior. In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul tells his spiritual son, "Fight the good fight of faith."

Taken from the book:

"Today, Lord, I Will"