MERCENARIES
Psa. 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that all of us live our lives in the pursuit of joy. The only thing that changes is the object that we set our hopes on. The treasure hunter is looking for the lost sunken ship, the hunter is looking for the big buck, and the movie star is looking for that blockbuster hit or an academy award. Some are searching for homers, others in pursuit of the elusive hole in one and still others are stretching for that diploma. People will give up some joys in pursuit of the ultimate joy. The Olympian gives up his free time in training for the gold medal, the scholar gives up sleep cramming for the next exam, and some leave family, friends and home for that contract to strike it rich. If the expectancy of fulfilled joy is great, there is no sacrifice we aren’t willing to pay. That brings us to Christians. Believers will leave a lifestyle of pursuing pleasures in this world for the pursuit of joy found in God. We don’t deny ourselves just for the sake of religious beliefs, no for the Christian it’s all about the pursuit of another joy, the joy found in God alone. They are willing to avoid promiscuity, alcohol consumption and frankly any other carnal pleasure that gets in the way of our relentless pursuit. We are not prudes, we just refuse to settle for cheap replacements for joy in God. Here is how C.S. Lewis sees it.
“We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of reward makes the Christian life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of rewards. There is the reward which has no natural connection with the things you do to earn it and is quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not mercenary for desiring it. A general who fights well in order to get a peerage is mercenary; a general who fights for victory is not, victory being the proper reward of battle as marriage is the proper reward of love. The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the activity for which they are given, but are the activity itself in consummation.”
Jesus said that we had to forsake our life if we want to find it. The world thinks Christians forsake worldly living to deny themselves of pleasure. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our sacrifice has a purpose, the purpose is to find the only joy that will finally satisfy our hungry souls.
3 thoughts on “MERCENARIES”
Hallelujah, Praise His Holy Name.
Hope you two are having a great time, good morning, with love.
🙂
If the pursuit of Love makes me a mercenary in their eyes then so be it.
If however, that is the case then perhaps they can show me what endeavor would not be mercenary under those terms.
What they miss is this- true Love desires to give much more than it ever hopes to achieve for itself. This is the opposite of the way the world thinks and they cannot comprehend it. As believers we can see both the horror and the beauty of the cross; the horror of Love’s suffering is obvious- the beauty of His willing sacrifice is known only to those who see His heart.
Mercenaries Of Faith, Filled With Great Joy!!! Now That’s A Proper Reward And We Love It!!! Love Is In Need Of Love Today. “This Is My Handle, This Is My Spout, Now Tip Me Over And Pour It Out!!!” We Can Do And Be All Things Through Jesus Christ That Strengthens Us. May We, Like Little Children, Always Have Faith, Joy And Love. Thank You Lord, Amen! Amen!! Amen!!!