Gideon and his army of 32,000 men are preparing for battle, a battle where the odds against them are so great that Gideon himself had been uncertain about God’s direction. He had checked and double-checked with God, yet the command was still the same, clear and unmistakable. He was to go forwards. God was going to save them.

As one of the most thrilling days in history starts to unfold, God begins one of the most mind-boggling military preparations that man has ever witnessed. He turns to Gideon and says, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’”

22,000 men went home.

Did God realize how many scaredy-cats he had? Surely he didn’t think that so many men would go home. They were now facing an army thousands of times their size. Surely God would call some of them back. Cutting 22,0000 men… leaving only 10,000 men… there had to be a mistake. But God doesn’t think so, in fact, he speaks again, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

God chose 300 men.

Three hundred men… three hundred men that were ready to do God’s command. Ready to fight a battle with an army which—as the scriptures say so vividly—was as thick as locusts, and that had so many camels (to carry away the plunder) that they could be counted no more easily than the sand on the seashore.

Three hundred men… that were not afraid.

They Were Not Afraid

Why not? They had every human reason to be afraid, and yet, nobody was muttering under their breath about this fantastic suicide mission. God had chosen for himself 300 men, 300 men of valor, 300 men of faith, 300 men that could not win the battle, 300 men through whom he would demonstrate his grace.

They were not afraid, because God was with them. They were not afraid, because God had chosen them. They were not afraid, because God had instructed them. They were not afraid, because God had sent them.

They were not afraid, because they had faith.

There are many more stories, many more examples, many more days when faith had victory over fear. Sometimes it was more amazing than this. There is Daniel. Then there are Daniel’s three friends. Their example is one of the most thrilling, one of the most powerful, one of the most inspiring. Three men, in the prime of life, three men against a whole nation, three men who lived when they should have died.

It was a day to be remembered forever. A day when three men stood, when three men refused to bow to an idol built in defiance to the God of Heaven and Earth, when three men defied the king.

A day, when 3 men were not afraid.

Why not? Why weren’t they afraid? Why wasn’t Joseph? Or Abraham? Or Moses? Or Paul? Or David?

Or… you?

Yes! You! Why did you jump? Why do you feel uncomfortable in a hero’s shoes? Friends, this is the focus of this article. Do you believe God? Are you ready to do his command? Are you ready to be chosen for a dangerous mission? Are you ready to stand when others run? Are you willing to—in the words of Jim Elliot—“give up what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose?” Or are you going to leave that for somebody else? Somebody else? Like who? Who?

Like Who?

Who would have stood in the place of Daniel? Who would have stood in the place of David? Who would have stood in the place of Moses? Who would have stood in the place of Joseph?

Who will stand in your place?

Nobody. Your potential, will be lost potential—because you were afraid. You were afraid, because you would not believe God. You were afraid because you would not obey God. You were afraid, because you did not know God. You were afraid to die, because you were afraid to live.

You Can

You don’t have to be afraid. No! You can be fearless! You can be faithful. You can stand when other men run. You can be an incredible tool in God’s hands. God can do with you far more than you ever dreamt of doing yourself. But what does it take?

It takes surrender. Yes, it takes surrender. It takes giving up your own strength. It takes your life. Your life! God wants it! Every bit of it! Every shard, every scrap, every ounce. He wants to give you His strength for your weakness. He wants to give you heroism for your helplessness. He wants to give you fearlessness for your fearfulness.

Give it up.

This is the first article in a 3-part series on Godly Manhood and Womanhood. In part 3 we will discuss the practical application of fearlessness and faithfulness to the life of both men and women. But before that, we’re going to talk about two more aspects of godly character: compassion and justice. Keep checking back for the rest of this series.

3 years ago when I wrote and submitted my first article to a magazine, I had no concept of where it would take me. My first article was almost an accident, but it was one of the best accidents I ever made. My goal wasn’t to be an author, and in fact, writing was not my strong point and definitely not something I wanted to do more of than I had to.

That last couple years have been a growing, stretching and learning experience for me. Most of all, I have grown closer to God. I have grown closer to God because He has taken the time to lead me forwards and onwards. And now, looking back, I realize that God has been doing an awesome work in my life. But, what hurts most is when I discovered that self, yes that great dragon we all are well acquainted with, stands up and says, “Look what I have done.”

Friends, success is not measured by what we have done. It is measured by what God has done. And this is the topic I want to focus on today. I want to share what it is that gives us joy and happiness. I want to show you that we can be just as fulfilled at the first step as we are at the last. I want to show you that your accomplishments are not what measure your success.

Have you succeeded?

Well maybe in 20 years once I’ve reached all my currently set goals I’ll be able to say, “Yes, I’ve succeeded.” Maybe once I get elected as the Prime Minister I’ll be able to say, “I’ve succeeded.” Or… maybe, when it comes to the end of this day, I’ll be able to say, “I’ve succeeded.”

What is it that measures success? Is it the completion of this article I’m working on? Well, in a way I’ll have accomplished this goal and will have succeeded. I will have reached my intended destination. But friends, that’s not the success I refer to. Life is not all about reaching destinations. Life is about walking with God. Success is about walking with God.

A dear sister confided in me one day. She said, “David, I feel so left behind. Everybody is doing so much. People like Alex and Brett, like you, make me feel so… unable.”

And friends, I have my own list of people that make me feel incapable. Oh yes I do, and I fear it stretches much longer than it ought. But I want to tell you right now: that list does not matter. That list is irrelevant. Because it doesn’t measure our success.

The Yardstick

The yardstick of true success isn’t actually a yardstick at all; rather, it’s a heartstick. If you want to know how you are succeeding in life, there’s only one thing to do, examine your heart. See if your hand is in God’s hand, if your heart is trusting Him, if your ears are hearing His voice. And when we do this, we don’t need other people to tell us of our achievements to know that we are succeeding.

But on that note, how can we truthfully say, “I have succeeded”? What have we done that counts to success? When God takes us and leads us, when he calls us and we obey, what counts as success? It’s faith, it’s obedience, it’s believing God! It’s the same faith, the same obedience that God put in our hearts in the first place. Truly, we love him only because He first loved us. Truly, there is nothing that I have done. But yet, I have succeeded. I have succeeded, by grace. Oh, the joy of mercy, the wonder of grace.

The Joy in Success

Friends, there is a glory in success. There is a joy that passes all understanding. When we’re walking with God, He is our joy. We don’t need to pursue anything else for our pleasure. We don’t need to reach any other height for greater exhilaration, we don’t need to climb to any other position where we will be more famous. In this place, friends, with our hand in God’s hand, is where we ought to be. If you’re the president or the plumber, you’ll still have succeeded.

Called out of your Comfort Zone

Recently I wrote the article, “The Best You Have”, and I covered the topic of our efforts, our energy, and how that relates in God’s plan for our success. You may ask me now, “How does giving God the best that I have change my life if all that matters is our walk with God?” I’m pretty sure that question was on somebody’s mind, because it was on mine, but there’s a simple answer. It is God’s will that we give him our best and our all, therefore, in my life this translates directly to a matter of obedience. Friend, if you’re not giving God everything, you’re missing out on so much. If you are, you’re missing out on nothing. When God has our life to work with, our best devoted to His glory, He can do awesome things. Friends, that’s success.

And there’s an incredible exhilaration when God calls us to run with Him. It reminds me of the first time (only time) I went skiing. First, I took a lesson and learned how to ski. Then I spent an hour on the small slope. Then I went for the larger slope. Oh my, oh my, I fell a few times on my first trip down. But finally, on the second trip down the hill, somehow I relaxed. Once I relaxed, the thrill was incredible, and I wasn’t falling down. No. I was racing down, with the wind in my face, my poles at my side, cutting across, cutting back, swooping down into line for the next ride back up.

But what happened? When did I begin enjoying it? When I gave up on my fears, and relaxed. I know it’s a poor illustration. But friends, when we’re ready to give up our fears, when we’re ready to relax and let God take control…

He’ll give us the ride of our life!

One short moment, one flicker of light, a few short breaths, and we’re gone. Gone into eternity. It’s sobering to realize how much depends on these few moments, how much of the future is suspended on the present, always standing on the edge of time, never knowing when it will stop for us.

Don’t Waste your Life

So many teenagers have no concept of life, of the eternal consequences of their choices. I stand at the window and see so many of my age group entirely desensitized, numbed, unrealizing, and uncaring of their future.

Why? Why? Why do we want to waste our life?... this life which isn’t ours at all. We want to step out and claim we are our own, but God tells us the opposite. He lays his hand on our shoulder and says, “You, you are not your own.” And then he bends down close and looks us straight in the eyes and adds, “You, You! Were bought with a price.” We are His! We are not our own. We cannot do whatever we want.

And yet, in an almost painful sense, we can. He has entrusted us with it all. He does not always stand in our way when we reject his purchase. Satan has sold his lie to the whole world. In the place of Stewards we have become thieves. What hope is there for us then? None, nothing but grace, nothing but faith, faith that God can change us from a thief to a servant, from a sinner to a saint, from old to new. Faith in His crimson blood that can wash us white as snow, faith in His salvation, that salvation which takes us back… as His own.

His own… And now he asks us to serve Him, to be a faithful steward of our lives. And there’s so much that entails. There are so many areas where our stewardship is illustrated. It shows in what we spend our time doing, it shows in how we talk, it shows in how we live, most of all… it shows in where we put our devotion. Ultimately our heart loyalty is shown in every aspect of our life.

Keep thy Heart

Long ago, a wise King of Israel wrote these words, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The first word is loaded with so much meaning. Keep, guard, protect… like the watchman over the city, like the gate keeper over the gate, like a mother over her child, like a soldier over his life. “Guard it!” “Fight for it.” “Do battle!” But never be found asleep with your sword uselessly lying at your side, never, not even for a moment. For at that instant, the enemy shall fall upon you.

Solomon was dead serious, as a king, he knew all about diligent and slothful gatekeepers. He knew about those who did not stand guard like they ought. He also knew about the heroic sentries who devoted all their energies to watching, spying, guarding, protecting his city, his throne. When he said ‘all’ he meant ‘all’, in fact, the Hebrew word is even stronger, ‘the whole, in every sense, in every way’... be diligent.

‘For out of it are the issues of life.’ That one phrase could be the subject of a sermon. Is it possible that our heart devotion, who we serve… can change us, can affect us so completely. Is it possible that what we do, what we are, what we say, what we think, and how we live is dictated by where our heart is?

Indeed! And this is where Satan targets us directly. He wants us to put our heart devotion into anything, anything but God. He would rather see it focused on a movie star, on a car, on fleshly desires, on anything, anywhere, anyone but God. Why? Satan wants your life to be wasted. Don’t kid yourself. He is in a moment-by-moment battle for your devotion, your joy, and your loyalty.

The Other David

A few months ago, my very namesake discovered me. Of the very few David Boskovic’s in the world (As far as I know they all still fit on one hand.) one discovered me online. Oh the stark contrast in our lives, oh how he felt the difference. He blogged about me, writing words that reflected the pain he felt, too vulgar to remember.

We are both teens, both young, both with a life in front of us, but one of us is wasting it. In the depth of drugs, street life, sexual sin, vulgar living, he discovered me, and dumped on me his load of anger. How could another David Boskovic exist other than himself, why did he have to be a religious fanatic… a God worshipper, some type of person who wrote about that Jesus guy. Impossible! I must be out to ruin him. I wrote a short comment in reply, and I pray that God may use me to reach him someday. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday, maybe someday when God has prepared his heart.

Until then, I’ll keep praying.

My Generation

When I see what my generation is doing with their time, it hurts. The same problem has been around forever, but in the last century it has expanded to grand proportions. Life is being wasted, so many lives, wasted on pleasure, wasted in the face of drugs, wasted in a life of self-centered pleasure, worst of all, wasted away from God. I ask why, but then my heart cries out, because I know why. They cry, because they have no idea why, no idea what they’re doing. Some live a life of proud success, but they live it alone, they live it wasted. All find themselves something else to live for, somebody else to serve, but they all waste their life. Others end their life by themselves, in a wasted ruin, because they took life alone. They lived for something else, somebody else. They died the same way they lived… wasted. I search my own life, and I realize how easy it is to waste it. I realize that I must say, “But for the grace of God, go I.”

And it’s that grace of God that we are ultimately given stewardship of. Our ultimate task is to live for God’s glory, by his all-sustaining grace. Our ultimate task is to show others God’s mercy in our life, to show, to tell, to explain that any other way is a waste of life. Any other loyalty is a counterfeit loyalty. Any other pleasure is a forgery. Any other path leads down. Who shall tell them?

A steward of grace.

Introduction

‘Of Giants and Grasshoppers’ is a brand-new, indefinitely continuing weekly series right here on Oneway Purpose. Directed mostly at young men, but applicable to almost everybody’s life in one way or another, this series bites into some of the biggest cultural and spiritual issues that face young people today. Too many men are viewing themselves as grasshoppers. Too many men have lost their vision, their honor. I want to do my part in restoring manhood, not only to my own character but to the character of as many men I know. Let’s all do the same.

Giants and Grasshoppers?

Espionage is a dream job for a handful, and a terrifying occupation to the rest. Right now, I want you to put yourself in the place of one of the millions of Israelites and stand ready to hear the report of a small group of men who have just returned from spying out the Promised Land. I’m sure you’re excited. Here is the report: (From Numbers 13, ESV)

“We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this [a large cluster of grapes and fruit the spies had carried back] is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

Then Caleb said,

“Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Then the men who had gone up with him said,

“We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying,

“The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

1 out of 12

I can just picture them there, 12 men start telling about the wonder and beauty of the fruitfulness of the land. And then 11 say ‘but’. But… However… the people in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

Caleb is standing there realizing that they’re about to launch into a negative campaign against taking over the land, so he interrupts them and says, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

But the rest of the men countered, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

For they are Stronger than We

Did you notice the reason they gave for not being able to overcome the land? Did you notice?! Since when was that ever a reason for failure? Since when did the Israelites have that attitude? What had happened? Is it possible that they had fallen into the same trap that we find ourselves in so often?

How many times have we whined, “But that’s impossible! Do you realize how big a job that is?!” Foremost, it lies in our character and our attitude towards danger and responsibility. Guys, listen carefully.

Recently, at a college in Montreal, some psychopath (I refuse to call him a man) male, walked up with a couple weapons and started shooting randomly at people. He started outside the college with one or two shots, wounding at least one person. Than he slowly walked into the building, through the front doors, down the hallway, (at this point police were already following him telling him to drop his gun), and into the cafeteria where he started shooting again for another 10 minutes while police organized themselves to take him. He ended up shooting himself finally, after he had killed one and critically wounded over a dozen.

What angered me most was not the police—it was that all the men ran when they saw him… and left the women to fend for themselves. Of the 19 men in that room, not a single one stayed to help the 14 women, There was not even one single man, one single hero. nobody who stood up to him. If even a few men in that room had tackled him, he would not have had the opportunity to do more than wound a couple people. He was using an automatic rifle, an extremely ineffective weapon at close range. But there were no heroes that day. Not even one.

I had a long time to think about how I would have acted if I was the 1 out of 19 in that situation. Would I have risked my life? As I began thinking about this I realized just why everybody ran, and just why nobody stayed. Everybody was ruled by fear—the same fear we all have.

Ruled by Fear

And so were the other 11 spies. They were afraid, and they gave that reason enough to not be able to conquer. Nobody but Caleb had any faith in God. Nobody was willing to risk themselves in obedience. It was the same story all over again in the Montreal shooting. Nobody was willing to risk their lives. One guy told the reporter, “I was there, and I thought, ‘I don’t want to get shot!’ so I ran for my life.”

Very reasonable decision. I must commend you, very wise. But your life was not the only one in question. If you were only watching out for your own skin, than that would have been just fine. But I’m afraid that today sir, you proved yourself a child.

That would have been entirely our same action, unless we were ruled by something other than fear. Like honor. Like principle. No hero will claim he was not afraid, he just knew had to do his duty.

Here again are a couple of the vows of Chivalry.

1. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
2. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
3. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

We Seemed to Ourselves as Grasshoppers

Picture yourself. Now picture a grasshopper. Those are big giants aren’t they?

When we are ruled by fear, everything takes a different proportion. But now, what exactly did they say? “We seemed to ourselves as grasshoppers.” Do you get it? They were viewing themselves with one 1000th of the strength they should have been! Of course they would never be able to take over the land with that attitude!

Unless we as men realize that we are grossly underestimating our abilities and begin to live by a principle of honor that we vow never to break, we will never change this world. It’s a daunting task isn’t it? But like Caleb yesterday, we must face this task like men. In the strength of God, we are well able.

Men Wanted: Yesterday, Today, Forever

It’s time for a revival. Men, my generation, your generation will change this. We will show ourselves worthy of honor. We will be heroes. And if we never get the chance to singlehandedly fight with a gunman, we shall still always be continually ready to risk our life for the safety of another. On the value of our own life, we shall represent God fearing manhood. Daring Manhood.

But this attitude isn’t only about things that are heroic. I don’t want to leave this introduction on a note of surrealism, on the dreamy idealism of ‘being a hero’. Most of us will not have such a drastic opportunity, although we shall be prepared for it. Where we all will prove our ability is in every aspect of life around us. We will prove ourselves when we approach any duty with the attitude of Caleb, “We are well able.”

We will prove ourselves on many giants, all the giants in our life. From each test in school, to each test of character. Every time we feel incapable, every time we meet a giant in our life, let us remember: There are giants. But we are not grasshoppers.

We are well able.

This is only the beginning of this series, stay tuned for more next week!

I wrote a 3-part writing series for Regenerate Our Culture Magazine recently, check out the articles below if you haven’t already read them. (Descriptions from ROC)

Part 1: This Pen Shall Change the World

Writing is a powerful, yet very convenient, tool in the hands of young Christians, and there are many ways to influence others and regenerate our culture with the written word. In this three part series, David Boskovic shows from personal experience just how powerful yet enjoyable writing can be. From journaling to article writing, the ability to move others with your writing should not go to waste, as David shows in an intriguing and challenging way.

Part 2: Deliberate Inspiration

All of us have those moments when we say, “I give up!” and throw the pen and notebook away, vowing never to write again. David Boskovic doesn’t think we should give up so easily. Here, he shows us helpful tips that he has discovered from his own experience, like keeping an outline, using helpful resources and finding inspiration when we draw a blank. His message is simple: draw the roadmap, and you’ll reach your destination.

Part 3: Mommy, What’s Cadmium?

You were born with an insatiable desire to learn, explore and discover. In fact, for the first several years of your life, your most frequent question was doubtlessly, ‘why’? Yet somehow over the years, you’ve lost a little bit of that curiosity; now, when you write a paper, it’s just easiest to avoid the ‘whys’ of research. In this article, David takes a look at the incredible rewards of good research in writing, and proves how asking questions pays tremendously in the end.

I Hate Working

I sat twirling in an office chair, “So…” I stopped the chair and faced my friend, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”

“I’m going to retire when I’m 30, I hate working.”

“Oh come on,” I prompted, “but what are you going to do… like in the next 15 years?”

“Oh, nothing, review video games or something. Something that I don’t have to work at.”

I couldn’t believe my ears, I was sure he was kidding. That was the answer one of my friends gave me a couple years ago in regards to my question about his life plans. Needless to say, a little discussion ensued about how that was lazy and entirely unmanly, and how I couldn’t imagine anybody wanting to have such a lifestyle.

I know we’re all looking at eachother and shaking our heads like wise sages right now. “That’s so crazy! I mean, who would want to live like that?! (And what kind of girl would want to marry a guy like that?)” Crazy indeed. And of course we keep shaking our heads, slowly, back and forth, back and forth. We are sooooo much wiser.

Relative Success

But do we realize that this attitude is entirely natural to humans? Is it possible that my friend just had an overdose of it at an early age? Is it possible that we’re only better by a degree and not anywhere near what we ought to be? We settle back comfortably, and we work hard, and we’re sure we don’t have an attitude like that. We’re happy being a cut above somebody who wants to get fat, retire at 30, and get fatter. We’re better and we pride ourselves with that knowledge. It helps our self-worth to be better than somebody else.

But what are we gauging our success by? We feel the adrenaline rush as we pass all the cars, we smile as we think of what people will say. “WOW, that guy is fast.” But all that fun feeling of success crashes on us when we realize we were only passing parked cars. We were doing so much better than the rest of them, but were we doing our best?

Your Best: Wasted

Maybe we were, maybe our pedal was to the metal. Maybe we reached the glorious speed that very few ever reach. Or maybe, in real life, we reached the glorious heights of success, the medals, the honors, maybe we became the President of the United States. Maybe we did. Maybe we climbed Mount Everest. And then we reached the highest point. We were the example of success. But for what purpose?

Regardless of how high you climb, how far you go, how much you achieve, you can waste every bit of it. Your work ethic would be an example, you would be quoted, you would be honored. But, it could all be wasted. What makes the difference?

For what Purpose?

One of my favorite books in the Bible is Ecclesiastes. And yet it is one of the most discomforting books in the Bible. Everything good, everything right, everything we dream about, it is all vanity. Everything we can possibly do or (not do) in this life is listed off as vanity, vanity, and by the end of the book I’m frustrated. “What are we supposed to do then?! If that’s all vanity… why, that’s life! Life isn’t vain!”

But wait. Solomon isn’t saying that our life has to be vanity. In fact, life is far from vain. And He knows it, but there’s one key, one defining factor that makes the difference. In fact, we don’t hear about it until the last verse. And then, all he says is, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear [revere, honor, worship, glorify, etc.] God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecc 12:13 ESV

Is there something so magic in those words? Something that turns life from vanity to a worthwhile effort? There is. It’s where we focus our goals. If we’re living for anything other than God’s glory, if we’re living for any other reason than for His honor, if our goals are set on anything lower than His best… it’s all vanity.

Your Best for God’s Best

My friend seemed to have realized that. I think he read Ecclesiastes and missed the last verse. Maybe his attitude was, “Life is all vanity, so why should I do anything anyways!” But we’re much wiser, we don’t think like that. Or do we? When we think, “I’m good enough, at least I’m better than [name].” or, “Oh come on, why do you have to think I should be perfect?! I’m better than most people, and you still complain that I do things wrong.” We’re actually saying the same thing. We’re complacent creatures, we’re too willing to stay the way we are. But that’s dead wrong. The way we are is not the best we can be. God wants us to step up higher. He calls us to do things better. He doesn’t call us to a life of ease and comfort. He calls us to a life of daring obedience! He wants us to give every bit we have. He wants us to give Him the best.

So many people don’t realize that when we gave our hearts, that meant we gave God everything. It’s incredible that we will catch ourselves thinking, “I gave God my heart, He doesn’t want my energy too does He? God doesn’t want something like that, why, it’s only such a little bit compared to what He has!” Actually, God does want it. Even if it’s only a little bit. Even if you’re confined to a wheelchair, if you’re physically unable to do many things normal people can’t. God wants everything, for after all… God gave us His best. We forget, that God didn’t just love us, He lived out His love. He proved it at the cross when He gave up His only Son to die for me…

When He gave me the Best He had.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart... ” all thy purpose, all thy desires, all thy dreams, all thy longings. It is here, right here in this heart of ours that our life can change, will change, and does change. This is listed first because it is first, because it is the temple of Christ. Here he entered, here he first showed us how real He is to us. He here first asks for our dedication to Him. He has loved us beyond imagination, beyond comprehension. He has come into my heart; He has cleansed it and made it whole, He has washed it in His own blood, that I may love Him… and in turn share His love with the whole world.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul (lit. breath), yes, your very breath, the thing of most value to you, love Him with it. He is beyond the value of your life, devote it to His glory. Live to share His love with the world, live to prove He is more precious than life, live to prove He is your life.

John Piper, in his book Don’t Waste Your Life, shares some very meaningful thoughts on this. Let me share: “If Christ is an all-satisfying treasure and promises to provide all our needs…. Finish reading this article at Regenerate Our Culture

There’s something so special about a sunrise, something that transcends the beauty of the deep, bright, alternate colors… Something that goes beyond the breathtaking simplicity of each beam of sunlight as it breaks its way through the early-morning fog and shines onto our gazing eyes. There’s something incredible that fills our hearts as we stand and watch each drop of mist burn away and a new day begin. It’s a new beginning.

There’s something so amazing about a new-born child, something that can never be put into words. Something in those pure, trusting eyes, something about those perfectly formed little hands, as they reach out and grasp a hold of your finger. There’s something about the helplessness, the utter-dependence upon a greater strength, something so peaceful. It’s a new beginning.

There’s something so mind-boggling as we watch as tiny seed sprout and grow, slowly, surely, breaking its way through the hard soil and showing its first little leaf, soaking in newfound sunlight, newfound energy. There’s something about the first cracking of a rosebud, just as the earliest bit of color shows… there’s something that burns its way deep down into our heart as we watch it slowly open and for the first time display its full beauty. It’s a new beginning.

There’s something so far-fetched about a freshly hatched butterfly, with the almost ugly beauty of its short wrinkled wings. There’s something so awesome as we watch the wings unfold, expand, and flutter in the breeze, something so icy-fresh that our whole being tingles with the anticipation of a new, beautiful creature. It’s a new beginning.

And, you know, without new beginnings, we’d all die. There would be no new day, no new chance to try again, no new opportunity to trust, no new heart from above, no new life to live. Nothing. We would die a ghastly death, because we would realize so quickly how much every new breath of air means to us.

Yet, in this world all around us so many people have never tasted life. They have never felt the fresh air of mercy and grace upon the hot, dry desert of sin. They have never felt the icy-fresh waters of divine love upon their parched, cracked, and bleeding hearts. They have never felt the wonder of forgiveness, the comfort and beauty and sorrow of repentance, and the inexpressible joy of a heart cleansed, cleansed white, whiter than snow by the crimson blood of Jesus Christ. What shall we do!? Let us grasp them by the shoulders, let us pick up their hand, let us point their eyes towards their Savior and cry, “Look! The New Beginning!”

From the Men’s Titanic Association, by Doug Phillips.

When asked during the Washington, D.C. Senate Titanic hearings whether the doctrine of “women and children first was the law of the sea?”, Second Office Charles Lightoller responded, “it is the law of human nature.” Of course, there were no formal laws, maritime or otherwise, which required the implementation of such a policy in times of danger. Lightoller’s comments suggest that he, and others like him, believed the doctrine of “women and children first” to be a widely-held and fundamental principle of conduct. Further evidence that this principle was deeply imbedded in Western thought comes from an incident that took place more than half a century before the demise of Titanic.

In 1852, the British troopship Birkenhead sunk off the coast of South Africa. She carried the 78th Highlanders, their families, and the ship’s crew. Once it became clear that the boat was going to sink, the orders were given to remove the women and children first by placing them into the Birkenhead’s few lifeboats. Twenty minutes later, the boat sank. Every one of the Highlanders and sailors aboard the Birkenhead died a grisly death in the shark-infested waters while their wives and children helplessly watched from the safety of the lifeboats. In the last minutes before the boat sank, these brave and self-sacrificing men lined up in military formation. Their band played the national air as the ship went down. Like the men of the Titanic, the British soldiers understood that in times of crisis, men must give their lives so that women and children may live. The Birkenhead incident inspired the poet Rudyard Kipling, one of the 20th centuries most accomplished defenders of bold manhood, to pen the following verse:

So they stood an’ was still to the Birken’ead drill
Soldier and sailor too.

Real men. Real women. The world today has no concept of them. This story is thrilling, not because we aspire to have to do that. But because we know that were we faced with the same situation, before God we could do no different.

Yet, today’s culture has been infiltrated with a lack of respect for our weaker counterparts. Does that law of human nature that Charles Lightoller was confident of still exist? I don’t mean to speak proudly, but were I faced with a situation like that, I could do no less. It would be painful to die, yet more painful to live and let a woman die. Am I a rare breed? I know there are many men who would, yes could do none else. But unfortunately polls indicate that the typical high school male laughs at the idea of giving up his seat on a lifeboat to help a woman or child.

No, you’re right, we don’t have any more ships sinking today in the same way we used to. But the loss of chivalry spreads wider, much wider than that. I don’t need a poll that tells me that the typical high-school male will laugh when challenged to protect the honor, the purity or the safety of a girl. This was integral to chivalry, in fact here are some of the commandments of chivalry, listen up.

• Thou shalt avoid avarice like the deadly pestilence and shalt embrace its opposite.


• Thou shalt keep thyself chaste for the sake of her whom thou lovest.


• Thou shalt not knowingly strive to break up a correct love affair that someone else is engaged in.


• Thou shalt not chose for thy love anyone whom a natural sense of shame forbids thee to marry.


• Be mindful completely to avoid falsehood.


• In giving and receiving love’s solaces let modesty be ever present.


• Thou shalt speak no evil.


• Thou shalt be in all things polite and courteous.


• Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.


• Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.


• Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.


• Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.


• Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Every single one of these means as much today as it did 500 years ago. No we can’t go around with that shining sword and glittering armor, but that’s not what made the man. What made a man was his character and what still makes a man is his character.

In this modern culture or ours we can follow through with the era of chivalry. By God’s Grace we can continue something that He has engrained in us, but that, much of the world has rejected. Today we shall protect both our honor and their honor, we shall guard their safety, we shall defend their life, we shall honor them by putting them first.

This world has forgotten all about care, all about chastity and all about honor. As a generation of men, you and I shall keep that as our first priority. We shall protect the purity of our sisters; we shall protect their honor. We shall keep ourselves chaste for their sake and for God’s glory. We shall promote this as the most important way to show true and heartfelt respect for our sisters.

We shall guard their safety. We shall defend their life. We shall never be guilty of ‘standing back and doing nothing’ when a woman is in danger. We shall defend their life with our life.

And with that attitude, we find it much easier to do the little chivalrous things like opening doors. Most woman and girls know enough to appreciate it. But if they don’t, remember this story. There was a gentleman who held the door open for a woman. He got swiped for it and told in no uncertain terms that she could hold the door open herself. He replied calmly, “Woman, I didn’t hold the door open because you were a lady. I held the door open because I was a gentleman.”

Let us not be cowards in the face of a rapidly falling world of feminism. We shall not be cowards. Let us stand up and be real men for a real world.

Prayer… This is one thing that we as youth can not place too much importance upon. Prayer is the line of communication between our Father in Heaven and us that cannot be broken without forfeiting our eternal wellbeing. It is very important that we keep this line open between our Father and us. We must not only keep the line in working condition but also keep the cables sizzling. So hot that they cannot be touched by the enemy, Satan. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Pray without ceasing.” Now, speaking in a practical sense, how is this possible? Hardly giving us time to be confounded by him, he says, “Quench not the Spirit.” There is the answer to our question; when the spirit of Christ is dwelling within us, we are constantly in communication with Him – whether it is consciously or unconsciously. While the flag is flying high from the castle of our heart to show that the king is in residence there, nothing can cool the circuit.

“As children of our heavenly Father, we have been given the immeasurable privilege of coming into His holy presence with our praises and petitions. Sadly many Christians do not value or understand what an amazing opportunity they have…” – HW Magazine

Yes, sadly many do not. Many people look at prayer as a sort of religious exercise; they do not realize what an opportunity they are missing. Prayer is an undevoidable privilege given freely to all… but unaccepted by many.



As youth we need to spend time with God, we need to have a time of strengthening and sharpening of our character. While we are building our life is when we need to seek God in prayer. He has much in store for us in His heavenly warehouses, and what is holding us back from receiving them? We only need to ask and we shall receive. God wants us to spend time with Him, to spend time seeking His face.



Christ said, “Pray lest ye enter into temptation.” He knew the importance that prayer has for our wellbeing. For Christ, prayer was an actual communication with His Father in Heaven. It wasn’t one of those mechanically memorized prayers that we spit out thoughtlessly so many times. He wanted to gain audience with His Father. This is the same thing that God wants of us; He wants us to speak with Him, to tell Him our problems, to unload our burdens at His feet, to praise Him in all circumstances, to build faith in Him, to daily lay ourselves down at His feet. God wants to work with us as a father beside his son. He wants to have a relationship with us, yes, one like He had with Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David. We have an eternity of learning ahead of us. We are only preparing for it in this short breath of life, but God wants to give us a foretaste of His wonderful plan for eternity!





The question is asked, “How can we maintain the balance between ‘praying in faith’ and asking, ‘not my will, but Thine be done’?” But really, there ought not to be a separation. Saying, “not my will, but Thine be done” is the only way we can pray in faith. Any other way is not trusting God, which is what faith is all about. Simply because our prayers are not answered the way we would have liked them to be does not mean that our prayer was not or is not going to be answered at all. When Christ said, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” He displayed the greatest faith known to mankind. He trusted His body and soul into the hands of God.

Many people view faith through rather fatalistically tinted glasses. “If only I had faith… I could… move mountains, I could…” but lets stop here for a moment and take a second look. We can have faith and we can move mountains, but moving the Rocky Mountains to the east coast would hardly be helpful to God! Instead, the mountains which we have to move today are not physical ones, but rather they are mountains in our lives, trials and difficulties, that can be moved by faith. All we must do is trust God, to say, “Not my will but Thine be done.” Yes, we can start moving mountains right now; or rather we can start trusting God to move the mountains for us.



When we face physical situations that are testing our faith we need to trust God’s will. We don’t need to try moving the mountains, or healing the sick, for we cannot. There has never been anybody who has, no, not even Christ! Christ Himself said, “I can of mine own self do nothing!” which was a result of His life purpose, “I came… not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” Our Father is the one who can and does according to His selfless will. When we ask of the Lord, we must keep in mind that He knows what is best and even if He does not answer us in the way we think, He has something better for us in mind. When Job—spotless before the Lord—was going through the testing and trying of his faith, he trusted God, and was willing to place his entire life into the hands of God, thus completely defeating Satan’s wicked plan. Yes, faith has conquered the world and the prince thereof—Satan—at the cross. (Please Note: I do not mean to bring Christ down by saying this. I mean to magnify Faith. Christ lived and breathed His Father, we need to do the same.)



Satan knows that once he destroys our line of communication with God, we are helpless. This is the first thing that he tries to destroy—our relationship with God. This is his entire goal for mankind; he wants us to misunderstand God. He wants us to get an unclear picture; in fact he doesn’t want us to get one at all. If he can break our spiritual relationship with God, he has gotten a strong foothold on our heart. There he can then instill fear, fear that cannot be there when we have a trusting relationship with our Father in Heaven. Is it possible to have trust or faith without prayer?



Through prayer faith has its beginning, without prayer we cannot have faith, without prayer it is absolutely impossible to have faith! Without faith we cannot have a trusting relationship with God. Unless we take the time to get to know God personally we will have trouble believing His words. For after all, why would you believe somebody that you don’t even know? I read somewhere about a bumper sticker which said, “God isn’t dead; I just talked to Him this morning!” That is the kind of relationship we need to maintain with God. We need to know Him personally.