King James Bible Study: A Soldier of Christ
For: Friday May 13, 2011
Chapters: I Chronicles 6-7
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-may-13
Details of Today's Reading: The descendents of Levi, the cities given to the priests and Levites, the descendants of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephriam, and Asher.

Hello My Friend/Guest,

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier...Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:” - II Timothy 2:3,4,10-12.

A soldier gives up the only life he knows for his country, a soldier lays down his life to save people he will never know, a soldier leaves at a moments notice to go where he is called to be. While there are many, many people blessed to be able to walk in the Kingdom of God through their faith in Jesus Christ, only a select few will be soldiers of Christ. A soldier for Christ gives their lives, as a living sacrifice, for their country, the Kingdom of God, going wherever God will take them to save people they will never know. There will be lots of sacrifices and suffering, but all who endure will receive far more than any medal of honor can behold, the crown of life. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. “ - Revelation 2:10.

The Levites were among the tribes of Israel, unlike the other eleven tribes they did not receive the blessings that the rest of the tribes got. While they were receiving their inheritance according to the number of people in each tribe the Levites were setting up the Tabernacle, God's dwelling place. I imagine some may have thought that they deserved to get a part of the promised land too, but what the Levites inherited was far greater than any piece of land, they got God, they got to serve God, and because they served God in the ministry they received whatever they needed.

“The sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar...And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest. And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order...Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot. And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs thereof round about it.” - I Chronicles 6:1-3,31,32,54,55.

In gratitude for their spiritual leadership, the other tribes were given the responsibility of sustaining the Levites who lived within their communities through their tithes and offerings. Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar were devoted to their calling as priests, but Aaron's two oldest sons Nadab and Abihu were struck dead when they ignored Commandments of God and did not reach the promised land because of it. This brings up a point that one may be serving God, but not following God's rules. Even some Christians can take us in the wrong direction, that is why it is important that we get around people who are like minded. “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” - Philippians 2:1,2.

While God enlists some just for the service of the ministry He also enlists actual soldiers to serve in the military. All the wars throughout the years and even those today are organized by God, the world is just too blinded to see that God's hand is in all of this. The tribes of Issachar and Benjamin were listed specifically as mighty men of valor.

“And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men. And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men: for they had many wives and sons...The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three. And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four.” - I Chronicles 7:3,4,6,7.

As soldiers of Christ we are to faithfully fulfill the duty God enlists for us to do, whether a teacher, cook, janitor, salesman, mother, or father, whatever job you are doing God has enlisted do it wholeheartedly for Christ. “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” - I Corinthians 7:20-23.

Now, do not quit your job or be disrespectful to your boss, rather do your job knowing that whatever you do you are representing Christ. Everything we do needs to be done in a morally, godly way, you can work in the world and keep yourself separated from them, you just need to stand by your faith. Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.“ - Luke 14:26. What this means is that we need to keep the JOY in our lives, Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. Jesus must be first above everything else.

The amazing thing about putting Jesus first is that everything else we do from that foundation will prosper. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” - I Corinthians 3:11-14. Even if we fail, Christ is with us and will never leave us. Praise God!

Jesus Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the cities of refuge given to the Levites as a place where criminals would be safe while awaiting trial. Jesus is our refuge, He saves all who believe in Him from hell. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” - Romans 5:8,9.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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