Daily Devotion

“As the Tibetan proverb says: 'A brave man should die in his boots at the summit of the pass.' As a soldier of Christ, I also long to meet the end of my life standing, while serving this land and its people.”

Albert L. Shelton · Pioneering in Tibet

Scripture

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

Reflection

Albert L. Shelton transformed the Tibetan warrior's heroic passion of 'dying at the mountain pass' into the ultimate response of a good soldier of Christ. Second Timothy reminds us that a soldier does not get entangled in civilian affairs, but seeks only to please the recruiter. We often compromise and shrink back in times of monotony or hardship, forgetting that following Christ is a spiritual warfare with no discharge. Ministry is not about seeking worldly security, but standing firm in the post given by the Lord. Whatever our circumstances, may we not be trapped by present hardships and anxieties, but fix our eyes on that eternal calling. With the loyalty and courage of a good soldier, let us rise to the challenge at the passes of life, until we have finished the race.