20 July 2007

The Good Fight

"Fight the good fight of the faith." --1 Timothy 6:12a

One of my jobs as a chaplain is to prepare a brief 1-2 minute devotional thought for each day's battle update brief (BUB). Today's focused around the verse found above.

The good fight of faith is not one faith against another. Sure, religious ideaology is a main reason behind the enemy's hatred of us. However, every servicemember swears an oath to "defend the Constitution of the United States agains all enemies foreign and domestic..." Part of that is defending the First Amendment which ensures a freedom of religion. In our eyes, this is not a religious fight.

Nevertheless, the fight of faith is fought each and every day. It's a battle waged against all the things that would steal our faith. It's a battle waged against our fears that our loved ones think less of us while we are gone. It's a battle waged against the pessimism and negativism that seems so prevalent in the Armed Forces. It's a battle waged against anything that would steal our faith in ourselves, our brothers and sisters in arms, and our hope.

The good fight of the faith is the fight to keep the faith that we need in order to have hope. This fight isn't just being fought over here in Iraq. You have to fight it each and every day, too. Everyday, there are people or circumstances that seem to conspire against you and try to convince you that you aren't that good, that you are unlovable, that you are worse than everyone else. Everyday, you have to fight the fight these voices back and remember that God has called all of us to a life of hope in Jesus Christ. Remembering this hope is the good fight of faith.

Fight the good fight in your own life today.

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