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A Charge to Keep
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
1 Timothy 1:18–20
On May 12, 1962, General Douglas MacArthur, then eighty-two years old, returned to West Point, where he had been the commander forty years earlier, to deliver his final major public speech. MacArthur had commanded US troops in three major wars. He hailed the courage of those who had defended our nation through the years, and challenged the young men seated before him to continue the tradition of courage and sacrifice of those who had gone before. At the end of his speech MacArthur said, “In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country.”
As Christians we have an even greater heritage of faithful service in the battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil than any military can boast. Through two thousand years men and women of courage and faith have answered the call and taken a stand. Many have given their lives for their faith. Others have suffered great persecution and loss because they would not deny the Lord. This is His calling—that we continue in the footsteps of those who have gone before us, remaining faithful in the face of battle. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
1 Timothy 1:18–20
On May 12, 1962, General Douglas MacArthur, then eighty-two years old, returned to West Point, where he had been the commander forty years earlier, to deliver his final major public speech. MacArthur had commanded US troops in three major wars. He hailed the courage of those who had defended our nation through the years, and challenged the young men seated before him to continue the tradition of courage and sacrifice of those who had gone before. At the end of his speech MacArthur said, “In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country.”
As Christians we have an even greater heritage of faithful service in the battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil than any military can boast. Through two thousand years men and women of courage and faith have answered the call and taken a stand. Many have given their lives for their faith. Others have suffered great persecution and loss because they would not deny the Lord. This is His calling—that we continue in the footsteps of those who have gone before us, remaining faithful in the face of battle. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
Today’s Growth Principle:
The Christian life is spiritual warfare which requires our courage and sacrifice to complete.
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