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I’ve been working my way through the Gospels again and God is showing me so much. I’d really like to share some of my findings with you. So Sprinkled in the midst of Swordpoint will be some thoughts from a devotional I will call “Following Jesus, a Call to Discipleship.” These devo’s will be raw and unedited. Basically, my quick thoughts without a whole lot of polish. If there is an editor out there who wants to smith my writings, feel free to edit away and send it back in an email and I will make the changes (charleswood1@gmail.com). Hopefully this will stimulate the head, heart, and hands to follow Jesus more closely.

Read Luk 1.1-4, Jn 1.1-18

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ begins with understanding who He is. Luke wants to explain to Theophilus “the exact truth” Lk 1.4 and launches into His story. John also takes great pains in explaining the mystery of the God/Man who came to His own and only those who received Him were named “children of God” Jn 1.12. These are the true converts of Jesus, those born of the will of God Jn 1.13. God the Son, explaining God the Father to those who wanted to know Jn 1.18. FJ1

“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” Luke 8:4-8

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God…the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:11,15

He was one of my RIs, a young motivated Buck Sergeant fresh out of the 3rd Ranger Bn. He came up to me after PT and looked me square in the eye. “Sergeant,” he said, “I know you are a Christian and I know you are really living the life. Will you show me how?” I started with the basics; How to have a quiet time, share his faith, Bible study, and lots of time spent together talking about life and our Lord. Then I started to challenge him to bear fruit, to reproduce, “The things I’ve done with you, go and do for someone else.” 12 years have pasted and now he’s a Major who’s done very well in his career, he has a family, and lots of responsibilities. I had breakfast with him recently and as we talked he opened his Bible. He shared his white-hot passion for God and how He was using him in other men’s lives. He’s still bearing spiritual fruit, planting the Word of God in other men’s souls. Now that is good soil! SP282

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Luke 8:4-8

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. Luke 8:11,14

While being trained in the art of hand-to-hand combat, I was taught a particularly nasty little move, the rear strangle take-down. You sneak up behind an unsuspecting sentry and in a split second, wrap one arm around the neck, placing the shoulder to the back of the head, then leaping backwards, thrusting both your body and your opponents to the ground. It immediately cuts off the air supply and has a high probability of snapping the neck. The move is silent and deadly. It sounds pretty gruesome doesn’t it? But consider how the things of this world can strangle the life of faith. They quietly and slowly creep up from behind and before the sleeping Christian can react, these things wrap themselves around the vital passageway of abundant life and choke out the things of the Spirit. It’s spiritual strangulation as a result of life’s worries, riches and pleasures. Check your six, Stay Alert, Stay Alive. SP281

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” Luke 8:4-8

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God…Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. Luke 8:11,13

Ranger School’s advanced mountaineering on Mount Yonah started in the cool of the morning. I had a pep in my step and life was good. But as the sun rose, so did the temperature and the big rock was transformed into something more suitable for baking tortillas rather than mountain climbing. By the end of the day my pep had gone to pot and there was more smoke than smile. The relentless heat radiating of the rock all day had turn my mind to mush and my legs to rubber. The same thing can happen to Christians who are not prepared for the trials that come with living a life of faith. Starting our walk with Christ can be fun and exciting but what happens when the tests of life come? Temptations, failures, dashed dreams, and struggles begin to turn up the heat and we are left wondering, “Is this all worth it?” The secret to avoid being scorched? Sink your roots deep into the living waters of Christ’s daily and seek Him first. Beat the Heat! SP280

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” Luke 8:4-8

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Luke 8:11-12

I was standing at attention in front of my Black Hat and he was extracting a little motivation from this “wannabe” paratrooper. He asked, “What do you want to be!?” As I yelled “AIRBORNE!” at the top of my lungs I heard him reply, “I can’t hear you.” Wait a minute! I was tossin’ my tonsils and he couldn’t hear me? No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t hear me; he didn’t want to hear me. He wanted something else, he wanted more. I think the Black Hat is a good example of how some folks treat God. The Lord has given a clear message of salvation in His Son and provided a way for an eternal and abundant life. And yet, for some, the response is, “I can’t hear You, God.” You’re not loud enough. Not enough tricks to prove You are real. I don’t like what You got to offer. And then the Evil One comes in and snatches away the little understanding that they could have had. Don’t let the message fall on deaf ears. Listen carefully. SP279

Black Hat – Airborne Instructor

For this is what the LORD Almighty says…for whoever touches you touches the apple of [My] eye (Zechariah 2:8)

My left hand was up in a flash to block the swishing noise coming at my face in the dark. Next it was from the right, then left! The ranger student in front of me was lacking good trail etiquette and letting the branches fly in the pitch darkness. I was prepared though, as I walked with both hands up on both sides for protection from the twigged assault (until he straddled a pine sapling that whipped between my hands and hit me squarely in the face). It was my greatest fear while walking in the woods at night; to get stuck in the eye. That’s how God feels about protecting His children. When people mess with His kids, it’s like a stick in His eye. Sometimes we wondered if God really cares. But try ignoring someone trying to touch your eye. Oh no, He loves you. You are the apple of His eye.

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end you will be wise.

Proverbs 20:18 Make plans by seeking advice;
if you wage war, obtain guidance.

So many of you have asked for the rest of the story from yesterday, I felt obliged to continue to humiliate myself for your edification (SMILE:)
When SGT Kim said “Live Ammo,” a very humbled SSG Wood popped a chemlight and told the SGT to start yelling “American” in Korean. A bunch of old dudes with camouflage and locked and loaded M1 Carbines surrounded and told us to put our weapons down. Kind of embarrassing to be captured by a 60-year-old-over-weight guy with a weapon that’s as old as he is. But than again, he did have the real bullets. I didn’t understand a word they were saying but I do know the head dude was ticked. In the end they helped us clear some obstacles off the LZ and the militia sat there and watched our operation with a very weary eye. My first mission established a new SOP; No Snoopen around villages without first notifying the locals (and even then, sometimes its best just to go in with lights and noise blazing). AND When Koreans are advising you about Korea, think twice before you ignore their recommendation. SP277

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7

I often hear jokes about infantrymen not being the smartest bunch in the world and especially Airborne Rangers. I’ve kind of taken a bit of pride in being more brutish than cerebral and I like to mention my GED right along with my BA and MDiv. But there was a time when most people would have looked at my educational level and used the word “simple” as a good adjective to describe me. But I had spent thousands of hours in the Word of God, drinking it like a thirsty man. When I was stationed in Dahlonega, a man in our church took notice of that fact. He came to me, the simple infantryman, and asked me to help him with his spiritual growth. I taught him how to have a quiet time, memorize Scripture, share his faith, and how to disciple other men. The simple infantry guy was mentoring the man with a PhD who was a senior professor in the Physics Department at North Georgia College. This is not a testimony to the ability of a man but to the power of the Word of God. Truly it makes the simple wise! SP275

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow… Isaiah 1:18

We had flown all night loaded up with heavy rucks, snowshoes and artic gear. The flight was rough approaching the dropzone and as we hooked up, I stood half bent over under the tremendous weight. As I exited the door, the deafening roar of the C130 turned into silence and the strain of the heavy equipment was immediately relieved. I was floating under my parachute and I surveyed the dropzone. I noticed it was covered with three foot of new snow. A sudden wave of peace overwhelmed me . The stark winter landscape had been covered with a perfect blanket of pure white snow. It was the softest landing of any jump. That memory creates another picture in my mind, the mental image of forgiveness. When I consider how the blood of Jesus Christ has completely covered my sins, I realize that God’s view of me is a spectacular sight of forgiveness. The followers of Jesus have been cleansed as white as snow and we are at peace. A soft landing indeed. SP207

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:3

I know I’m dating myself but I wish I had kept track of the number hours I’ve spent shining my boots. Probably enough to build the space shuttle. The frustrating thing is that the shine only lasts for a day or two. Then it’s back to “a little polish, a little water, little circles, a little polish, a little water, little circles…” God gives us the opportunity to have something that will shine for all eternity. If we give our lives to the pursuit of wisdom (God’s Word) and leading people to righteousness (God’s Son), WE will shine like the stars forever. Don’t show up to the heavenly formation with just a brush shine, go for the spit shine Trooper! SP206