But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3).It is easy to get our priorities messed up.
What is our job in life as Christians? Ask people this and you will get interesting answers.
Our job is to fight the devil and remain pure. Our job is to do what God says so we won’t be lost. Our job is to live a Christian life.
All of those are wrong.
I saw an illustration once that stayed with me for years. Four people were picked out of the audience and told they were firemen. The first one was to polish the fire engine. The second was to maintain the hoses. The third one was to keep the equipment in order. The fourth was to take care of the Dalmatian dog.
The man who had appointed them asked each what was his job. Each would reply with the engine, or hoses, or equipment or dog. Again he would ask, what is your job? Each would reply again, hoses, equipment, engine or dog. Again he asked. As he got to one guy, the man stopped and said “Well, it is to put out fires.”
Each had gotten so involved in their minds with their sub-jobs, their small assignments, that they forgot the main job: fire-fighting.
It always struck me that in the Marines, everybody is a Marine, a basic rifleman who fights. Each may have other jobs – clerical, cook, motor pool – but each is an infantryman first and foremost. A marine’s job is to fight.
As Christians, we do not fight the devil, or keep ourselves pure, or resist evil, or any of these things. They will be done, to be sure, but we – first and foremost – have the job of worshiping him, believing in him, serving God.
When we serve God, he will resist, he will strengthen, he will guard. We cannot in and of ourselves. If we could, we wouldn’t need Jesus.
Our lives are not a battle against the evil one. There is no way we can overcome the devil. Our lives are service to God and his love and grace. If we serve him, he will take care of the other and will guard us. If we are faithful to him, he will be faithful to us. He gives us strength.
Our job is to worship. We let him take care of the rest.
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