So who didn’t play with G.I. Joe when he was a kid?  At least when I was growing up, the plan was set: little soldiers for boys and Barbies for girls, right?  Nothing wrong of course with little girls occasionally staging battles with the green army men and little boys sporadically visiting the Barbie beach house (as Ken, right?) to check out the latest shopping spree.  But in general – soldiers for boys and dolls for girls back in the day.

I guess the ‘day’ has changed over the years.  Suddenly somehow G.I. Joe became the bad guys in some circles, and the attempted G.I. Jane (military Barbie) didn’t go over so well – must’ve intimidated Ken too much?

But wait!  Hitting the big time screen with big time actors/actresses is none other than G.I. Joe!  Apparently there has been enough interest to dump millions of dollars into a theatrical interpretation of the scenarios we used to play out in the backyard and on the living room floor.

And even if you weren’t into all that military stuff, you have to admit that there is something compelling about people fighting for a cause, no matter what the cost.

In other words, I believe we are hard-wired to be a ‘soldier’ in the sense of anyone fighting for something worth, well, fighting for.  There are soldiers for sports for victory on the field.  There are soldiers for academics for the triumph of scholarships and admittance into great schools. And there are soldiers who go to work and take care of kids every day just to make the world a better place.

But wait a minute…where did the G.I. Christians go? Nothing wrong with other causes, but if no one ever told you, when you trusted Christ, you enlisted in a branch of service.  Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul as he writes to his friend Timothy:

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

Fairly straightforward, wouldn’t you agree?  As Christians, we are clearly called soldiers because we were definitely ‘enlisted’ or recruited by Jesus Christ.  In other words, when we signed up for salvation, we were inducted into a lifetime of service for His cause.

Oh, we can choose to be lousy soldiers.  I’ve seen plenty.  During my military service in the Army, I knew lots of folks who gave lip service to their commitment, but on the inside they were about as much a soldier as Ken in the beach house.  They weren’t serious about the threat and the importance of the cause, and they were very lucky that no serious battles came their way.

How about you?  Are you getting ‘tied up’ in the affairs of civilian life?  Paul says that there are Christians who forget that all the stuff and the drama of day-to-day life is just that: stuff and drama.  It detracts and distracts us from our real purpose, which is to fight the spiritual battles and champion the spiritual causes that come our way every day. 

You know people that need to be prayed for…are you praying?  You have friends who might spend an eternity apart from Christ…are you sharing the gospel?  You have an enemy who is firing round after round of depression, anxiety, despair, and destructive temptation your way…are you putting on the protective gear for your soul?

Perhaps you’ve never thought of yourself as a G.I. Christian and you wouldn’t be the only one.  But I hope now that you take your recruitment and calling seriously, because if those who don’t are missing a seriously amazing opportunity to be victors, overcomers, and champions for the Lord Jesus Christ.

So how can we be a good soldier for the One the Bible calls ‘the Captain of our salvation’? (Hebrews 2:10).  That will mean different things for different people, but as a former soldier, I can say there are three very key elements:

First, be ready for the fight at any time.  During my service in the Army, I had a bag packed at all times sitting in my closet, because at any time I could be called anywhere in the world if stuff went down.  Now, my ‘bag’ is a readiness for a spiritual battle that could escalate without warning.

Second, resolve to not be distracted.  Sure, enjoy that full life that Christ has granted you, but don’t let the enemy use that to sidetrack you from being a soldier.  There are real G.I. s in Iraq and Afghanistan right now who are playing soccer with kids or jamming out on iPods, but don’t think for a minute that they aren’t totally focused on what is going on around them.

Finally, a good soldier is of good courage.  He/she refuses to be overtaken by fear and discouragement, because the cause is worth fighting – and even worth dying – for.  As a Christian, you have an unlimited resource of strength through prayer and the pages of the Bible.  And most of all, you have the power of God Himself living inside you through the Holy Spirit.

G.I. Christian…soldier up!

This post is dedicated to the memory of Cory Carrier. He truly did know how to live each day to the fullest.

Although they had a small-time start in Canada, they are now huge in the U.S.  Nickelback smashed onto the Billboard charts in 2001 with “How You Remind Me” and has convinced folks to buy more than 25 million albums since then.  Included in Nickelback’s trophy case are accolades from the MTV Video Music Awards, the World Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Juno Awards, and several nods from the guys at the Grammy’s.  Nickelback’s presence has been felt in the pop, hard rock, alternative, and metal crowds.  

In other words, I’m assuming you know who Nickelback is?

Or perhaps you’re familiar with one of their latest hits – “If Today Were Your Last Day”- that was also made into a very cool video.  This song is also a very clear reminder that even though we’d like to think we have a long time to live here on earth, the fact is, no one really knows and there are definitely no guarantees. So in light of that, Nickelback poses some great questions:

If today was your last day
& tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?
Would you call those friends you’ve never seen?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you’re dreaming of?
Swear up & down to God above
That you’ll finally fall in love?
If today was your last day

So…what if today really was your last day?  

Seriously, don’t we just assume we have all the time in the world? So we fritter and waste away the hours and days on mostly meaningless and generally purposeless activities that really make no difference in the grand scheme of things?

That is what Nickelback is getting at, and I think this is an issue worth thinking about – and even contemplating for a bit.

Why?  Well, for many reasons.  But I think the most important being the fact that you don’t want to look back at the end of your life with the burden of regret.  Oh yes, there are thousands, maybe millions of people who do every single day.  Instead of passing into eternity with a triumphant feeling of having squeezed every drop of juice out of life, their souls are weighted with the lament of all the “if only” and “why didn’t I” flashbacks of life.

You know whose life didn’t end with regret?  The Apostle Paul’s. Read and reflect on what is probably the last thing written by him and recorded in the Bible:

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Did you catch the parallels between Paul’s last words and “If Today Were Your Last Day”?  They both have a clear statement of “I’m going beyond this culture’s annoying habit of wasting the days that could have been spent with passion and investment in the things that last forever.”

Paul spent his days pouring out his life like a “drink offering” to God, because he knew two very critical things.  First, Jesus Christ will return – and can at any time – and call all true believers into His kingdom.  Second, after His return there will be a Judgment Day, when we will all give an account of how we spent the time we had on Earth.

Those two facts became the engine and the fuel of his life and as a result, he wrote two thirds of the New Testament and was used by God to spread the gospel throughout the world.

What if Paul hadn’t lived each day as if it were his last?  Well, he would have made more money, been more comfortable, maybe even retired on a tropical island and invented the internet so he’d have something to do.

And he would have sped into eternity with an eternity of regret.

But that wasn’t for him, and that isn’t for me.  And do you know what?  I hope it isn’t for you either!  Pour out each day like a drink offering to God.  Look forward to Jesus’ return at every turn in life.  And most importantly, remember there will be a Judgment day, which I hope is a day where your life is applauded and your work is rewarded.

That is how to live like today is your last day.