Growin' Up Gregory

"It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops." A soldier works hard to take care of himself. The hard-working farmer worked during these days until the point of exhaustion.  He did not have the tools and technology that we have today.  He worked long hours in all weather conditions whether he was sick or tired.  And he had to keep himself healthy enough to work if he wanted to yield any crops.  Active military have strict PT tests that soldiers must pass on a periodic basis to ensure they are in peak physical condition when called upon.  When a catastrophe strikes or war breaks out, they don't have 8 weeks to hit the gym or go out and brush up on their training.  It's go time!  They have to always be working and always be ready. In our daily walk as Christians, we don't always know when we're going to be asked the hard question.  I can tell you that for me personally, it is easier to study and stand u...

EVERYTHING around us makes noise today.  My mom loves playing Ruzzle (spelling?) on her phone and it literally sounds like you hit the jackpot on the slots in Vegas, there are almost constantly vehicles traveling up and down the road, and we are blasted with entertainment available 24/7 for our viewing and listening pleasure. But if the constant interaction, the constant entertainment, the constant movement, is what we really need, why do so many of us need a vacation to relax, unwind, and unplug?  I don't believe that our bodies were designed to have constant stimuli the way that we have today.  TV's, phones and radios are constantly on, and there are tons of other noises that we constantly hear as well.  Maybe I'm just getting old, or maybe I just have selective hearing, but I struggle to hear Britt talk to me when I'm in another room.  Either the walls muffle the sound or like last night when I was brushing my teeth the noise of that in my head is too muc...

"An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules" - 2 Timothy 2:5 A soldier competes according to the rules. When an athlete competes, and the Greek verb used here for compete means to express great effort and determination, he must give is all he's got.  He cannot go half-speed and expect to win the prize.  Olympic athletes don't just train every four years.  They are constantly working to better their bodies and their skills.  They know that if they do not compete at their best that the odds of winning are unlikely. I'm sure we have all heard the phrase, "All is fair in love and war."  But there are still some rules of engagement that the military must practice.  And there are rules in any sport that athletes must follow if they want to be crowned the winner.  Even if an athlete wins, if he is found out to have cheated or broken a rule, he will then be disqualified.  As Christians, we cannot tell others what the rules...

"No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." - 2 Timothy 2:4 A Soldier is Focused. When a soldier goes to war, his civilian life of paying bills, reading the newspaper, keeping up with sports, going to ball games, and changing diapers, is no longer of any concern to him.  Once deployed, he has one master and one mission.  His sole focus is to do what his commanding officer instructs him to do. As followers of Christ, we must not allow ourselves to be consumed by the affairs of this world.  We get so caught up in careers, friends, money, and possessions often times that we lose track of what we have been commanded to do.  Our primary purpose and focus in life should be to do what Christ has commanded us to do: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." - Mat...

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." - 2 Timothy 2:3 A good soldier will suffer. In the military, you are put through numerous mental, physical, stressful, and soulful tests during training.  And that is before we even try to imagine and consider the perils of war.  It is no secret that there is suffering involved in serving in the armed forces.  This is another reason why those serving need our prayers. Likewise, there are many Christians suffering and being persecuted around the world.  I honestly feel hypocritical to even think about the persecutions we face of business discrimination and getting awkward looks from people when in parts of the world you are killed for carrying a Bible.  That is real persecution, real suffering, and takes real faith to live for God in the face of that kind of danger. Look at your life.  Have you been suffering?  What trials have you faced?  Or has everything in ...

"What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." - 2 Timothy 2:2 A Soldier Can be Replicated In Paul's letter to Timothy, he encourages Timothy to teach others what he has 'heard from me (Paul).'  Many people who join the ranks of different armed forces do so because of some of the benefits or experiences that someone who went before them has shared.  People often talk about and share their experiences (Hello social media!).  As Christians, we should be talking more too.  We should be sharing the things that we have experienced God do in our lives, we should be sharing the truths found in God's Word, we should be doing our part to make sure that others have heard his great message. Paul also said that these things would take place 'in the presence of many witnesses.'  Very rarely is a soldier sent out onto a mission alone.  Even if it is a two-man team there is some...

With Independence Day approaching, I began thinking about what it takes to be a part of our nation's armed forces as they protect our lives and freedoms.  Why do they do what they do?  How do they do it?  What can we learn from them?  The Holy Spirit and those thoughts led me to 2 Timothy 2:1-7 where even the heading in my bible is titled, "A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus."  For me, each of these seven verses gives us a characteristic of a soldier that we can incorporate into our lives for Christ as well. V1 - "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." A soldier has to belong.  For me to call someone my child, there has to be some sense of pride and ownership in that person, in their life and their potential.  To be a child, you must have been chosen.  Children are also supposed to take on a submissive role to their parent.  Before a soldier begins to receive training and be taught how to become a better ...

While we were living with my parents during our construction phase a number of different people would stop by my dad's house.  Some came asking if something he had in the yard was for sale, some came to pay rent for a storage unit, and others were just stopping by just to see if he was around and talk to him.  I didn't know many of the people who stopped by.  Some only stopped once, while some renters began to look familiar as they stopped more regularly.  All of the people who stopped by had one thing in common; they had come to see my father.  But since I didn't know who they were, I spoke to them on the front porch outside our home.  When we die and stand at the gates of Heaven, how will we be greeted?  John 14:2 says, "In my Father's house are many rooms."  What will Jesus say when we ask to enter his father's house?   Will his response be like mine was at my dad's house even when people looked sort of familiar, were there f...

For anyone who knows me or has been around me for any amount of time, you have likely noticed that I move and operate very efficiently.  I park closest to entrances and exits, I walk the quickest or shortest path between areas, and other little things that my brain is constantly processing to save time and energy.  Now I'm not saying that I'm the fastest, smartest, or best at anything you've seen me doing.  But I am highly efficient.  I even described myself that way in my personnel review last year for work.  I believe that being efficient is a strength in a person.  But I have also learned greatly over the past few months that being too efficient can be a weakness. To be perfectly efficient, everything must have a schedule and operate smoothly and on time.  And if that schedule gets off then everyone must work harder and go faster with no mistakes to get it back on schedule.  I've been this way at the gym, at work, at churc...

We've all heard the saying, "It's better to give than to receive."  But where did it come from?  What does it really mean?  And is it true? Acts 20:35 reads, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive." The first question is easy.  According to Paul, Jesus himself made this statement so it comes from a very reliable source.  One study Bible I looked at even said this is the only direct quote of Jesus' earthly ministry recorded outside of the gospels.  So if the saying came from Jesus, and we can find it in the Bible, that's a pretty solid bet that it's good stuff. But what does it mean?  I don't know how about you but it seems a lot more enjoyable to get money instead of giving it.  And how lucky am I that today is payday so I get to do both (#sarcasm)!?!  From the time we are childr...

"Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 5:20-21 As people we have a tendency to place a difference on varying degrees of sin.  For example, I feel that it's okay for me to more judgmental, "just," and "fair" when considering punishments for murders, child abusers, rapists, etc. since my sins aren't nearly as severe as those.  Yes, I'll say something I shouldn't say at times, and have thoughts that I shouldn't have, and allow my priorities to get out of line with God's will, but I didn't kill anybody, right?  A.W. Tozer summed it up, "Sometimes people feel that they are better than someone else because their sin is not quite as terrible.  When it comes to God and His evaluation of sin, sin is still sin, and every sin is...