When was the last time you stood your ground in a right vs. wrong argument? (And guys, I am not referring to an argument with your spouse) I am talking about when you may have faced a situation where either Gods reputation or yours was on the line and the only one present to defend this situation was you…then what? It will undoubtedly take courage on your part but isn’t strength and courage what you are about?
Stoddard Kennedy was a chaplain in WWII. He was often thrust into the front lines of the battle, ministering in places of great danger to his life. One day, as his battalion was moving through France, he wrote a letter to his son, who was about 10 years old. This is what he wrote him;
The first prayer I want my son to learn to say for me is not God, keep Daddy safe but, God, make Daddy brave. And if he has hard things to do, make him strong to do them.
Son, life and death don’t matter. But right and wrong do. Daddy dead is Daddy still, but Daddy dishonored before God is something to awful for words. I suppose you would like to put a bit in about safety too, and Mother would like that, I’m sure. We’ll put that in afterwards, for it really doesn’t matter nearly as much as doing what is right.
This man had a strong foundation about right and wrong and in very few words, conveyed these strong principles to his young son. Why would this man feel this way? “Daddy dishonored before God is something to awful for words” do you believe that for yourself? Do you, or anyone you know, believe this way? Why does it matter anyway?
Because of this simple reason:
If you are a disciple of Christ and you believe that He is the Lord of your life, then simple principles of right and wrong are the foundation your faith is built upon. Listen to the words of Joshua, the famous Jewish warrior as he addressed the children of Israel:
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day who you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15
Just like Stoddard Kennedy, Joshua made a huge stand in front of the entire nation of Israel and simply said, “MAKE A CHOICE!, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” In both of these examples, the person took a stand, and followed what they knew in their heart was right…following God.
One of the greatest examples of standing strong in the face of sure death is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:16-18, who would not bow down to the idol set up by the king for every one to worship. If you remember the story, because they would not bow down to that idol, they were thrown into the fiery furnace but they were not killed. In fact, when they came out, there was no smell of flame on them.
Standing in front of certain death, these young men stood and did what was right in the eyes of God and he rewarded them with their lives and ultimately, King Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed that no one in the kingdom can speak wrongly about the God of Israel.
Guys, I want to leave you with this final verse so you can understand that if you decide NOT to take a stand in your life, God also took this into consideration as well when James said:
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. James 1:6
Do not waver. God is very clear on this. Take a stand for yourself and your family and then stick to it. Be strong and be clear who you serve…otherwise you will be like that wave of the sea…tossed back and forth…with NO SOLID GROUND…
Until next time Guys…
