16 Jan, 2008

Courage anyone?

Being a soldier is about sacrifice and discipline.

3,200 Marines prepare for Afghan tour

WASHINGTON - Military officials said that about 3,200 Marines are being told to prepare to go to Afghanistan — a move that will boost combat troop levels in time for an expected Taliban offensive this spring.

Once complete, the deployment would increase U.S. forces in Afghanistan to as much as 30,000, the highest level since the 2001 invasion after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The notices come as explosions rocked Kabul's most popular luxury hotel Monday, killing at least six people, including one American and a journalist from Norway. Officials said the assault on the Serena Hotel by militants may signal a new era of Taliban attacks.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the deployment announcement has not yet been made. If approved, the deployment to southern Afghanistan would be a "one-time, seven-month" assignment, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Friday.

The decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan represents a shift in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing in recent months. Commanders faced with increasing violence have said they need as many as 7,500 more troops, but Gates initially pressed for other NATO nations to fill the void.

NATO countries, however, faced public opposition to deeper involvement there and were slow to respond, leaving Gates to acknowledge recently that the U.S. may have to consider providing the extra combat troops.

Currently, there are about 27,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including 14,000 with the NATO-led coalition. The other 13,000 U.S. troops are training Afghan forces and hunting al-Qaida terrorists.

photo & story courtesy news.yahoo.com, 1/15/08

2 Timothy 2:3-7

3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (ESV)

In today's God's Story scripture, what is the apostle Paul teaching us about sacrifice and discipline?

Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE notes give us great insight:

2:3-7 As Timothy preached and taught, he would face suffering, but he should be able to endure. Paul used a comparison with soldiers, athletes, and farmers who must discipline themselves and be willing to sacrifice to achieve the results they want. Like soldiers, we have to give up worldly security and endure rigorous discipline...But we keep going despite suffering because of the thought of victory...We will see that our suffering is worthwhile when we achieve our goal of glorifying God, winning people to Christ, and one day living eternally with Him.

Regardless of our political view of whether or not our country should be at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, we would all agree that our soldiers serving there are making a sacrifice and for some it is the ultimate sacrifice.

If we're followers of Jesus Christ, we have been enlisted in God's "army". Are we willing to endure suffering and sacrifice all?

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

  • Praise God that in Christ Jesus our eternal victory in the spiritual war has already been won when Jesus died and rose again! Thank Jesus that even though you lose some of the daily battles, He will forgive you and strengthen you to carry you on. Ask His Spirit to give you the faith you need to obey the "Commander" every day and be willing to sacrifice worldly comfort for the sake of Kingdom glory.
  • Make a written list of some "things" in this life you could give up so that you could devote more time to serving God's purposes.
  • As you see news reports on Afghanistan and Iraq this week, let God's Spirit help you evaluate your willingness to sacrifice your own desires in order to serve Christ.

How can we connect today's story, God's story and our story to others?

  • Pray for our troops and for God to bring glory and people to Himself in the middle of rampaging evil in our world. Pray for the soldiers' loved ones back home to experience God's strength and peace. For them, today's news story is about individual lives, not numbers of troops.
  • The topic of sending more troops to Afghanistan may come up in conversation at school, home, and at your job. Look for opportunities with those in your storysphere to talk about courage, discipline, and sacrifice. Mention that you have enlisted in an army. This should make for some interesting discussion as you try to explain that God's Story scripture talks about being a soldier for Christ.
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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