Keys to the Kingdom
My Dad, Morris J. Hayward, served in Germany on the front lines in the 90th Infantry Division, Company B, under General George S. Patton’s Third Army. General Patton is the most famous and celebrated U.S. general of that era. He was an outstanding motivator and one of the best tacticians of the time. He was the most colorful general, known by the troops as “Blood and Guts” Patton. My Dad further defined that nickname by explaining, “Yeah, his guts and our blood.” With a mighty combination of blood and guts, the U. S. and our allies defeated the Nazis and won the victory in the European Theater.
It usually takes a combination of things working together like a well-oiled machine to achieve successful results. “For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God’s anger against us. He used Christ’s blood and our faith as the means of saving us from His wrath” (Romans 3:25 TLB). Jesus died on the cross so that all might live victoriously and be saved from hell. But it takes faith to believe in Jesus, and the guts to stick with it, in order to achieve the abundant life here and eternal life in heaven.
When General Patton devised his incomparable battle plans, what would have happened if he hadn’t been able to find any soldiers with enough guts to carry it out? It takes guts for believers to take a stand for Christ — it always has. It takes guts to not go with the flow (any old dead fish can float downstream). It takes guts to love the ugly-hearted and extend forgiveness. It takes guts to live according to God’s Word when the world wants to live like the devil.
Even in the face of terrible odds, believers can choose to go with God and have victorious outcomes. I’m not talking about just going to heaven when we die, I’m referring to having victory right here, right now. “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (Romans 8:37 NLT). The Son of God loved everyone so much that He was willing to shed His blood in order to save us from ourselves (a life of selfish misery). There’s more power in the blood of Jesus than a Sherman tank. There’s more power in Jesus’ blood to free a person’s soul than a B-24 Liberator.
We’d all be dead in the water if it weren’t for the blood of Jesus. “In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT). Jesus has done His part once and for all and it’s up to everybody else to do their part. He provided the blood.
We are marching through a world that’s not our true home. “Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors…(1 Peter 2:11,12 NLT). Believers aren’t in a physical war like Patton’s Third Army, but we are in a spiritual war. We must be determined to hold our position and never give up or give in to the enemy of our souls. And that, brother and sister, takes guts.
The Key: With His blood and our guts, believers can be more than conquerors.