Last Updated on April 13, 2023 by OCF Communications
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
—Hebrews 4:12
In a few weeks, in the warm and sunny locations of Arizona and Florida, Major League Baseball will start its spring training. It’s a critical period of preparation as the boys of summer strive to get in playing shape for the grueling 162-game regular season ahead of them.
Athletic skill and intangibles aside, the primary baseline that determines the best chance for success on the diamond for baseball players (or athletes of other sports) is their amount of focus and work on fundamentals. An early hot hitting streak may give way to a mid-season slump. Unless there’s a renewed focus on the fundamentals—How am I holding the bat? Are the mechanics of my pitching off track?—a door to doubt and fear can open to prolonged unproductiveness, even benching.
Likewise, fundamentals of God’s Word must be revisited continually to readjust our stance not only for our effectiveness in the game plan Christ has established for us, but especially regarding Biblical faith in Him—period. If we aren’t diligent in our faith, the roar of the hostile, contrary, and compromising crowd can contribute to our becoming an easy pick-off by the enemy.
In his article, Your Commission as a Christian Officer, OCF stalwart LTG William Harrison Jr., USA (Ret.), reminded OCF members of the veracity of Biblical truth. Implementation of the fundamentals God has provided in His truth is critical to what God has called His people serving in the military community to do, to “be able to serve God and our country in a manner that glorifies Him and leads others into His Kingdom.”
“Christian officers differ from all other officers,” Harrison wrote, in that they possess “unbelievably marvelous benefits and gifts from God, and also great responsibilities toward God. All of these are the consequences of the truth that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, died on the Cross to redeem us from the terrible sin and eternal penalty of rebellion against God. The appropriation of God’s benefits for each one of us is through faith in Jesus Christ.”
“God has declared us not guilty, has forgiven our sins, and placed into our account the righteousness of Christ, having placed our sins on Him. He has reconciled us to Himself, giving us a new life, and has adopted us as His children,” Harrison underscored. “God’s purpose for us is that we ultimately be like Christ in our character and share His eternal glory. Living in the world as we do, it is sometimes difficult for us to realize these blessings of God’s love for us.”
Diligent preparation, doing their best, and leaving the consequences concerning promotions, assignments, and the enemy to God and for His glory—Harrison lists those practices as hallmarks of the Christian officer. The intangible difference that sets Christian officers apart into a league of their own? “The secret of the Christian life is simply that Christ lives in us,” Harrison wrote. “We must be constantly aware of who He is, what He has done for us, and what we are in Him.”
Who He is, what He has done, and who we are in Him—a constant check of and realignment with those truths in our lives keeps us in the lineup as an ambassador for God in our lives.
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