The dreary day matched Jack Ritter’s mood as he stumbled out of his beat-up car, lost in thought. After hearing a very upsetting story on the news about the war in Vietnam, he had stayed up all night. Now he was finally ready to get some sleep.
Bone-weary, Jack went straight to bed, clothes and all. But, unable to turn off his mind, he tossed and turned like a mariner who had lost his way, without a compass to guide him.
Jack was sure he had run aground on the shores of life. So, feeling like he could tear his hair out from all the stress, he got up and paced the floor in frustration, as his mind mechanically replayed the arguments on both sides of the war.
Jack wasn’t an anti-war demonstrator by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, his father was a colonel in the army. It was expected of Jack, therefore, to join the military and serve his country. But Jack had never been able to communicate with his father, and he knew that he would be unwilling to listen to him now. Jack’s dad wouldn’t be interested in the conclusion Jack had come to, but America’s involvement in Vietnam seemed both immoral and unnecessary to him.
Jack’s father hadn’t been home often when he was growing up, and Jack had pretty much been left to fend for himself. On the rare occasion when he was home, his father’s demeanor towards him was ice-cold. The colonel had never shown the least amount of affection for his son. This made Jack feel alone and unwanted, and like he would never quite measure up.
Therefore, seeing positive role models, he longed to break down the impenetrable wall that existed between them, while trying to earn his father’s approval. Because of this, he had to keep his feelings about the war to himself, or his father would fly into a rage and put more pressure on him to enlist. Jack had always done what his father wanted, but now that he no longer lived under his dad’s roof, the colonel wouldn’t need to find out that his son had asked for an exemption based on conscience.
As it turned out, Jack’s request was eventually granted. After many months of waiting, he was given a reprieve from military service.

In the Bible, believers are called soldiers in God’s army, but I must confess I really hadn’t given much thought to what that meant in my life. As I wrote this blog entry, I decided it was high time to mull this concept over, and then transfer those thoughts into actions. So while there are many more, these two qualities stood out to me. After discussing each one, we will turn our attention towards their application, and seeing how we can become more obedient to Jesus our King.
First of all, by being teachable, a good soldier prepares for the battle ahead. Therefore, learning to submit to the proper authority figures in charge is crucial. Otherwise, the enemy would have an advantage, as the wrong message could be received.
According to the scriptures, the follower of Christ is engaged in a battle which is unmatched by any earthly foe. Proverbs 30:5 tells us that God is our protection when it says, “Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” But in order for God’s Word to be a proper shield in battle, we must learn to study His strategy against the enemy carefully. The Bible says that the Christian is more than a conqueror, and in scripture’s pages you will discover the winning design which God has for your life.
Secondly, we need to look at the principle of watchfullness. A good soldier must remain on the alert at all times if he or she is to avoid danger. We have all read about people who escaped injury in battle because of their vigilance.
Now let’s turn our attention, to the cosmic conflict that the believer is engaged in. The idea of being watchful is found throughout the New Testament in general, but it is specifically spoken of by Jesus. One example of this can be found in the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus asked His disciples to stay awake and watch with Him. Like His early followers, we are also exhorted to watch, but many times we fall asleep, so to speak.
Instead of being like alert soldiers, Christians are more often like conscientious objectors. Instead of being like the prophet Isaiah who said, “Here am I. Send me,” most of us say something like, “Here am I. Send me, as long as it doesn’t take me out of my comfort zone.”
But what we don’t factor into the equation is that Jesus left the ultimate comfort zone when He came down from heaven for you and me. He was rejected so that we could be accepted by a holy God. He became poor so that we could experience His riches.
So the next time we find ourselves in the role of a conscientious objector and feeling lethargic when it comes to God’s commands, I suggest that His love be our motivation to fight the battles of life. The love of Jesus is all-consuming, and it will help each of us to be victorious, as long as we cling to Him.
Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 101 S Kraemer BLVD, Suite 123A, Placentia, CA 92870.
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