Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat

"...I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat'... We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be realised; no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, 'Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.'"

-Winston Churchill,

May 13, 1940 In his first speech to the British House of Commons

Churchill's task was a daunting one --to preserve England in the face of the evil of Nazi fascism. His words were strong and resolute. Churchill stood before the world and laid-out his plan. It was a simple one: Victory, no matter what the cost. There were no options. This was about the survival of his people, the British.

Churchill's resolve got me thinking that if Churchill could say what he said about the preservation of England, how much more should you and I do the same in our quest of defending the truth and the message of the Gospel that God has entrusted to us?

Writer, G.K. Chesterton stated, "We have lost modesty, and it's dislocated from being confident of what we believe. We have become confident in ourselves, rather than what we believe... We are producing a generation of theologians who are too modest to even believe in the multiplication table."

Truth has definitely taken a hit. Today's society values thinking for yourself, challenging what you have always thought to be true. Colleges today are especially guilty of encouraging this way of thinking. They are producing young adults who are confident in who they are, but hardly confident in what they believe. Does higher education knock faith out of an individual? Students are taught that it is OK to deviate from what you have been previously taught. Pastor and Christian Apologist, Ravi Zacharias has an answer to this trend. He is quoted as saying to a group of college students, "You better hang on to your confidence in what God has promised you is true in the scriptures. Then when you face all kinds of odds, you are still able to triumph."

Zacharias has been quoted as saying,"You can have confidence that whatever it is you are facing: whether it be trials or no trials: whether it be heartache or no heartache; whether it be struggle or no struggle; the fact of the matter is IF YOU HONOR GOD, VICTORY IS GUARANTEED TO YOU."

We need to be willing to stand up for God's Word --the ultimate truth in this world of relativism where truth seems to change with each gust of the wind. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to be modern-day Joshuas who will be "strong and courageous" in the face of the enemy -the father of lies.

In Joshua chapter 1, after Moses died, God gave Joshua the same kind of challenge, but promised that he would be there to guide him every step of the way. He extends the same challenge and He makes the same promise to us today. Will we stand up against attacks on His truth?

Joshua 1:6-9 (The Message)
Joshua 1 1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses' assistant:
"Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I'm giving to the People of Israel. I'm giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It's all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

How willing am I to give my blood, toil, tears and sweat to the defense of the Gospel? How willing are you?