The Sword of the Spirit (94)

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God.  And today, these powerful passages of scripture touched my heart of hearts:

Early in His ministry, Christ said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."

Before His crucifixion, Jesus said, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thy will be done."

"Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles."

Most of us have seen the motion picture "Chariot's of Fire" based on the life of Eric Liddell.  Favoured to win the 100 meters at the 1924 Olympics, Eric refused to run in the qualifying heats because they were scheduled on a Sunday.  As a compromise, he was permitted to run in the 400 meter event.  He was a sprinter and wasn't expected to medal in the much longer race.  Remarkably, he won the gold medal in the 400 meters.

A year later, he volunteered to serve as a missionary teacher in China, where he died in a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War.

Eric was a man of conviction.  His Olympic experience coupled with his work in China proved that he possessed an unwavering belief in Jesus Christ that couldn't be persuaded otherwise.  Like the Apostle Paul, the prisoner of Christ, Eric Liddell had surrendered his life to the Lord by the submission of his will to the will of God.