COMMITMENT

About two weeks ago I read about the passing of Hiroo Onoda on January 16, 2014.  This man was born on March 19, 1922 and was an intelligence officer for the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

 

Here is a paragraph from a fascinating story about his life (the link to the full article is included below) ...

"In 1944, Lt. Hiroo Onoda was sent by the Japanese army to the remote Philippine island of Lubang.  His mission was to conduct guerrilla warfare, against the United States, during the closing months of World War II.  Unfortunately, he was never officially told the war had ended; so for 29 years, Onoda continued to live in the jungle, ready for when his country would again need his services and information.  Eating coconuts and bananas and deftly evading searching parties he believed were enemy scouts, Onoda hid in the jungle until he finally emerged from the dark recesses of the island on March 19, 1972!!!!"

 

I personally remember the news accounts of this story when it took place ... and the world was captivated by the idea that an individual would stay so incredibly committed to his mission for so long in the midst of a hostile and foreign environment.

 

An interesting twist in the story was that Hiroo never left his post until his former commander arrived from Japan and released him from his sworn duty. 


From this story there are some great comparisons that we can make to Biblical truth.  We too have been given a mission by a commander to go into a hostile and foreign world represent a kingdom cause.  We, like Onoda, are to be faithful and represent our commander and cause regardless of the circumstances we face in life, and the cost to our own person.  We, like this soldier, will one day be called out by our commander into a new and different world after having faithfully served Him. 

What comparisons to Jesus' Great commission do you see in this story?  What lessons can you draw from the life of Hiroo Onoda that you can apply to your own life?  When the Lord comes to release us from our mission, what will have been the impact of your life? Will you have been found to have been a committed solider for your commander?  Some people may think that Hiroo lived this portion of his life in vain and wasted countless years in dedication to his cause. 

What is your take on this?  How do you view the years that you are serving your commander Jesus here in the jungle of this world? 

Read the full article:  http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/soldiersurr.htm

 

 

 

 

The Journey Continues ...

I recently received my Delta Airlines mileage statement and I see that I have flown over 650,000 miles during my lifetime with that one air carrier.  That made me a bit curious as to what that would look like using some other comparisons that might be more familiar to us; so here we go …

• The circumference of the world is 24,901 miles which means that I have circled our planet a little over 26 times …
• If I was running on a track, this would mean that I would have to circle it some 2,600,000 time to equal my Delta mileage …
• And if I were to simply drive my car with a good set of tires, changing them every 75,000 miles, I would have gone through 8.66 sets of tires in equaling this distance.

I can’t even begin to remember the number of flights, airports, and destinations in my travels over the past 40 years.  But as I reflect, there have been a lot of fun times, some painful, a few disappointing, and many productive trips in serving the Lord and teaching others about the life of His Son, Jesus.  

Since becoming a Christ follower I have been on a journey with the Lord.  He reached down into the mess of this world and saved me, challenged me to leave where I was and follow His guidance in my life, called me to teach others about His Son and the Bible, and commissioned me to lead others into a right relationship with Him.  Every step of the way, the Lord has provided for me in countless ways and for that I’m eternally thankful.

But I know at times I have become sidetracked by the comfort of my surroundings, the selfishness of my own heart, the discouragement of unfulfilled dreams, and the distractions of this world. Like most travelers I’ve faced setbacks and disruptions to my travel plans and “life plans”, but my heart’s desire has always been to continue the journey that God is leading me on.

None of us know how many miles we will accrue on our “life” mileage statement.  And we surely don’t have any idea about the amount of good and bad that we will encounter on our journey.  But we all will have a point in time when we receive our final statement – Paul wrote about this in 2 Timothy 4:

⁶ “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

2014 offers us another chance to journey onward with God.  I challenge you to fight against the things that would sidetrack you, to keep in mind the finish of your journey, and to be faithful along the way. 

You can make the journey more enjoyable and exciting by regularly reading God’s Word (Grace Church Bible reading plan called The Journey – see the website: http://www.gc3.org/tp40/page.asp?ID=319950), building relationships with other believers in our cells and classes, and telling those who don’t have a personal relationship with God about His Son, Jesus.