Frontline - Part III

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Alright, in part 2 we were able to cover “When it’s over we can say well done”. Yup, that’s it. It was short, but it was good. So, today we’ll see how far we can get.


The next part is, “But not yet because it’s only begun. So pickup and follow me, we’re the only ones. To fight this thing until we’ve won.” If part 2 was about hope, then this is about determination to achieve that hope. We start with the goal. We have to have one to be willing to fight. Once we have it, we have to come back to the present battle. I love the way the sentence is ordered here. I can see myself sitting in the field of battle, or just before a battle. I am daydreaming about my goal. For a moment the lord takes me out of the carnage and shows me the reward. He walks me around his palace, showing me the grandeur within. For a fleeting moment, I have peace. Then it snaps back to the moment. I see the war around me, and I long for the vision I just saw. “But not yet because it’s only begun”.

We have a choice here. We can give in to despair and ask God, “why can’t I have that? Why do I have to fight? If you loved me, wouldn’t you take me to paradise now?” I will be honest. I’ve been here before. I have begged Him to take me out of this battle, but that is not the plan. Yes it would be great for me, but who will fight for the others then?

The other option is to take that vision and let it drive you. Let it sink into your soul and push you into battle. Know that the reward is at the end and push on. So, we are given a goal, hope, and then we are given a battle.

Next is, “So pick and follow me”. Now, I don’t pretend to know what the artists were thinking when they wrote the song, but I automatically thought of picking up our cross (Matthew 16:24) (Luke 14:27). In Matthew, Peter tells Jesus that he will not allow Him to die. Now, Peter didn’t say this in a disrespectful, “I don’t want you to fulfill your purpose,” way. He was likely telling Jesus that he would protect Him. He didn’t want his friend and teacher to be hurt. He did what most of us would do, he tried to protect the innocent. But, the innocent had to die in this case. That is hard to swallow. Peter did what makes sense to most of us, but Jesus says, “you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Is it possible that God would ask you to let someone die? Think on that for a moment. Has God ever called for the death of someone? How about the flood (Genesis 5:32-10:1). Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). Take it to a current topic. Is it possible that God would allow us to elect a president that is bad for the country? The bible says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1). This isn’t the only time either. (John 19:11) (Proverbs 8:15) (Daniel 2:21) (Acts 13:22) (Psalms 75:6-7) (Daniel4:17). Sometimes God appointed cruel, evil leaders because the people failed to heed Him. Sometimes, we just don’t have enough of His mind to understand. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The things of God are not the things of earth. If we are to follow Him, we have to let go of what we understand. The verse speaks of letting go of material things, Strength in ourselves, and the morals and boundaries we understand. This is a big thing for American Christians. There are many “American” principles that are not godly. Sorry, it is the truth. I would go so far as to say that pledging alliance to America is a violation of who we are in God. We are allied to Him. This line of the song calls us to lay down the world, all of it, and take up our cross. Take up our own death to the flesh and carry it to the hilltop where we will meet our lord.

The sentence concludes with, “We’re the only ones, to fight this thing until we’ve won”. This doesn’t need much explanation. Fight until we win. It’s my personal belief that we are not called to have a wonderful, wealthy, easy life. We are called to fight for the lord. He will bless us and look after us, but the more you fight the enemy, the more he will fight you. We give up the benefits of this life for the glory of the next.

So, God starts by giving us hope, a goal. Then, he takes us into the battle, asking us to take up our cross, lay down what we hope to gain from this world, and follow Him until we emerge, victorious, on the other side. 

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