What constitutes a valuable, dependable soldier? God inspired the Apostle Paul to write: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4) We have been reminded time and time again about allowing the details of life to become more important to us than serving God. But the second part of that verse is what we focus on today...namely, the discipline of our spiritual life. Without that discipline we will not be valuable or dependable soldiers of Christ. In other words, unless we place our time with Lord through prayer, Scripture, and worship of utmost importance, we can never expect our Lord to be pleased with our service...and His pleasure should be our priority. What happens when we become lax with these spiritual disciplines, we can become distorted and confused about our success as kingdom soldiers. “Success” is not determined by numbers or the lack of them. Success is determined by bring joy to God through our humble submission to His design, and that design is only discovered by our deepening relationship with Him.

Left to ourselves, this is a difficult lesson to embrace. We've been taught numbers are most important whether they be GPA, salary, attendance, conversions.... But when it's all over, Jesus informs us of an interesting outcome: “But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” (Matthew 19:30) It's His way of saying, don't be enamored by numbers. They are not necessarily indicators of success, but rather, one's heart and commitment to Lord. He'll take care of the numbers, our job is to stay sensitive and committed to His voice through spiritual discipline. My prayer for you and me today is summed up in the lyrics of this song:

Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me

Walk with the King today and be a blessing.