April 11

Read 2 Samuel 8 and 23

1 Chron. 11:11 This is the list of David's mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was chief of the officers; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

A Band of Brothers is a book and TV series based on the WWII experiences of the Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division. The story tells about the friendships and camaraderie that develops among these men as they fight the war in Europe.
In 2 Samuel 23 we find the “band of brothers” that surrounded David. These men are called the Mighty Men. And most guys today have no idea of what it is to be part of a team like this. The times I most experience this level of camaraderie is during mission trips. When you are outside your comfort zone and you sense the intimidation of being a minority, you learn to trust God and depend on the guy next to you.
The problem with Christianity in 2009 is that we have portrayed the Christian life as a playground and not a battlefield. We tell people, if you come to Christ, you get to play more and have more fun. We conveniently forget the words of the Apostle Paul in Eph 6 about putting on the armor of God. We put this armor on not to play army but to be in the army. We are locked in a battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation and as of this moment we are being slaughtered by the opposition in the USA.
But don’t lose hope; the final battle has already been won by Jesus in his resurrection from the tomb. What he is asking us to do now is to complete mopping up operations until he returns again.

Thanks for standing alongside of me in this battle. You are all Mighty Men and Women of faith.
Be bold today in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection.