Training Camp

We need to realize that life in this world is only a temporary stopping point, much like a training camp for eternity.    The struggles here are preparing us for our position in the future.  Revelation 5:10 tells us Christ has“… made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”   Before we can be qualified as kings and priests to judge the world, we will first have to learn to live with him and trust him.  That requires experience and practice if we wish to be on the team.  II Timothy 2:11-13 tells us, “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”       

If we are to be a valuable member of the team, there are some sacrifices we may have to make.  Colossians 3:4-7 tells us, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.”   Before we were saved it didn’t really matter whether we did those things or not.  Now that we have been saved and are on the team, we need to quit old habits that distract us or sap our strength.  Instead, we need to replace them with habits that make us better able to play our part.  It is much like a football or basketball player quitting drinking and going to all night parties in order to get enough rest and proper nutrition so that he can play his best.  Failure to do so will incur the coach’s wrath because it indicates we don’t really care.    When Christ comes and the game starts, we need to be at our best. 

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:8-11)

We are on Christ’s team.  We need to put away all the things that interfere with working together, and play as a team, working together for a single goal, rather than all trying to get our own way or get ahead of others.  As part of Christ’s team we have to develop a whole new mindset toward others. 

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:12-17)

In Galatians 5:22-23 , Paul referred to these things as the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Here he says we need to allow the peace of God to rule in our hearts.  The point is that like growing fruit, it is essential to allow the tree to produce the fruit, not try to make it ourselves.  We need to provide the opportunity for the fruit to grow.  A friend shared how that body builders can inflate their muscles by using a light weight many times, causing the muscles to retain plasma and appear larger, but a little bit of rest allows the muscles to shrink back to normal size.  Weight lifters focus on lifting heavy weights to build their strength, and their body builds additional muscle cells.  Their muscles do not shrink after a short rest.    We need to let the Spirit produce the fruit rather than trying to make ourselves look good.