Jesus told the crowd, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
“…there your heart will be …” Everyone gets to choose where their heart is. That’s the way God created us. He wants us to love Him with “all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” (Luke 10:27) but it is our choice. It all depends on you.
Put another way, God is looking for volunteers, much like the military. And like the military, He wants His volunteers to be “all in”, to be totally committed to Him and His mission, that of saving souls. We are told in Romans 6:17: “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you WHOLEHEARTEDLY obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.”
He wants His army to be prepared to go wherever He orders, without question. We see the example in Abraham (then known as Abram) when God said to him, “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” Genesis 12:1. What was Abraham’s response? Verse 4 says, “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him…” We see it in the example of Isaiah. Knowing he had sin in his life, he confessed that to God and God purified him, providing atonement for that sin. Being made ready for service, when God asked “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” without hesitation Isaiah answered, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:4-8
Hebrews 11:32-40 gives us still more examples of what one will do when they are fully committed to serve God with all their heart. Then the Hebrew writer continues with an admonition to not lose heart. In chapter 13, the Hebrew writer encourages us with these words: “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (vs.6)
In Arlington cemetery, the grounds are covered with white crosses and stars of David, marking the graves of men and women who served this country, many of whom were volunteers and, I dare say, all of whom were committed to the cause of protecting America. One of those markers marks the grave of Martin Treptow. You probably have never heard of Martin Treptow. He was an ordinary man who worked in a barbershop in a small town before traveling to France in 1917 to defend our freedom. There, he was killed while attempting to carry a message between battalions while under heavy fire. On Martin Treptow’s body was found his diary. On the inside cover were written these words:
“America must win this war.
Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice,
I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost,
As if the whole struggle depended on me alone.”
Are we, as Christians, soldiers in any less a war, the war for men’s very souls? Should we ascribe to any less a pledge? I cannot control the actions, the loyalty, or the resolve of others to the cause of Christ. However, I, alone, am responsible for my actions for Christ, my loyalty to Christ, and my resolve to bring others to Christ.
God may or may not require me to make the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow made for this country, that Christ’s apostles and the martyrs of old made for His church, and that many Christians in foreign lands are still making today. However, no matter where God leads, no matter what is ahead:
Christ has won this war.
Therefore, with my eyes on Jesus, I will work,
I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure,
I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost,
As if the whole struggle depended on Christ working through me alone.
Teresa Plaugher