May 5 I Tuesday
1 Kings 19-20
Luke 23:1-25

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —Ephesians 6:12

Whether or not we are aware of it, when we profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are drafted into the army of the Lord. Paul tells us, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves...” (Colossians 1:13). Being in the army of the Lord is very different from the world’s armies because it is led by the Prince of Peace––Jesus. Thus, unlike the world’s armies, the army of the Lord does not go around blowing things up. Paul tells us, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Jesus rescued us, commissioned us into His service, and now we join Him in going to rescue others from the dominion of darkness that we ourselves were trapped in.
It is an army that uses real weapons such as prayer, faith and the gospel, which has the power to demolish strongholds and deliver people. Binding up the broken and bringing healing to the wounded, it is an army that sets the captives free and goes on rescue missions to rescue people from the darkness that they are in. An army driven by love: a salvation army.
Founder of our present-day charitable organization The Salvation Army, the late William Booth describes the reality of being a soldier in the army of the Lord:

While women weep, as they do now,
I’ll fight!
While little children go hungry, as they do now,
I’ll fight!
While men go to prison, in and out, in and out,
as they do now,
I’ll fight!
While there is a drunkard left,
While there is a poor lost girl upon the streets,
While there remains one dark soul without
the light of God,
I’ll fight. I’ll fight to the very end!

Since we are always on active duty in the army of the Lord, may we not be entangled by civilian affairs as we are told, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). Instead, we should seek to live and fight in a manner that pleases our commanding officer, Jesus. May we keep fighting to the very end until we win every soul to the light of God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may I not get entangled by civilian affairs but seek to live each and every single moment of my life to please You, the commanding officer of my life. Praise You!