The final study in the series covers Service – Love Others, below is an abbreviated version.  Consider this – both the military and faith require that you love others and serve others.  How would you define Love, and who in your life has demonstrated this for you?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will now that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.  John 13:34–35

Love is a COMMAND – “a new commandment I give to you”

The military emphasizes group cohesion, team work, and leaving no one behind – as a leader you’re to think of others first.  Without this external perspective your unit would not function efficiently or effectively, it could not accomplish its mission.

Love is a PERSON – “as I have loved you”

How can anyone know what is love?  By knowing the life of Jesus Christ, Love is defined by his very words and actions.

Love is a TESTIMONY – “by this all people will know that you are my disciples”

If Jesus is Love and you love others like he loves, then others will see Jesus through you.  How is this love different than love from other people?

Check out the rest of the study, and series, at:  http://www.valormovement.com/biblestudies.htm

Consider those around you now, perhaps you are in a training environment, working a temporary summer job, or spending lots of time with family.  Pray for God to reveal a new way for you to demonstrate love — taking out trash without being asked, offering rides, giving someone help with a task, offering encouragement, or even checking your sarcasm.  Living out love runs counter to our world, it means letting go of your desires and demands and allowing others to come before you, and yet it is an integral piece of living for Jesus Christ.  Just as our own salvation is not of our own accord, neither can we love without the power of the Holy Spirit.  Ask for the Lord to move, then be willing to allow him to move — I’m confident you’ll be amazed by how the Lord transforms through love.

That’s right, the entire New Testament.

That’s 27 books, 260 chapters, 7,959 verses, or depending on your translation — 184,590 words.

Given that most students will not return to campus until late-August, you could have roughly 90 days before classes start again.  To read the entire New Testament in 90 days you would need to cover 3 chapters each day.  What do you think, want to give it a go?

Consider this summer your summer with Jesus, the One and Only (ref. taken from a Beth Moore title).  Make a plan to stay close to Jesus Christ amidst training requirements, work, internships, missions trips, or time with family.  I know I have tendency hang out on the sidelines when I’m not among fellow believers or do not have a small group meeting regularly.  It becomes easy to convince myself that I’m staying close to the Lord when in reality I’m only holding onto memories of times of closeness.   We’re not meant to be in the game just during the academic year, we’re meant to be in the game daily.

If you’re taking the time to read you’ll want to get the most out of it.  Consider this basic method for studying the Bible as a way to focus your heart and mind: Observe, Interpret, Apply.  I find it helpful to take a few notes along the way to stay on track and to review later and remind myself of how much the Lord has taught me.   Let’s look at Mark 5: 21–34.

Observe: Identify what is happening in the passage — key words, characters, compare/contrast…

• Jesus is en route to heal the daughter of one of the rulers of the synagogue
• A woman who was suffering greatly from a 12-year hemorrhage approaches Jesus to touch his garments for healing
• Ask yourself what life for this woman would be like, what were her options?

Interpret: Discover the author’s intended meaning in light of God’s redemptive plan.

• Jesus healed her physically, but what happened spiritually?
• What was the woman’s faith like?
• In v. 34 Jesus calls this woman, “daughter”, what does this represent?

Apply: Scripture is intended to direct our hearts to Christ so that we may believe, and expose sin so we may repent and grow in fellowship with Christ. (ref: John 20:31, 1 John 5–10)

• Do you have an area of your life similar to this woman’s hemorrhage?  What is your faith like?
• When do you embrace your identity as son or daughter of God, and in what areas of your life do you still have doubt?
• Pray over this area of your life, ask the Lord for specific and measurable growth.

It’s far easier to take a journey like this with friends, so invite some of your Bible study members to take this challenge with you.  Make time to catch up with each other over the summer and rejoice in what the Lord is teaching you.  I pray this summer with the One and Only will solidify a foundational knowledge of the New Testament for you, from which you will always draw upon, and to which you will always draw others.

As we embrace God’s calling toward a life-time of  ministry, the inward affect of God’s love and work in our lives should overflow to an outward love and compassion that enables us to share God redeeming message and work with others.  I remember as a new believer I was so eager and passionate to share the Holy Spirit’s redeeming work with others.  I was dramatically changed.  I could hardly keep inside the good news.

But then life began to creep back in.  And sin weighed me down, and shame and guilt overshadowed the redeeming work of Christ in my life.

I’m not sure when I first rheard Hebrews 12, but it  applied so readily to me back then and  undoubtedly now as I still wrestle with giants in my own life to give God more access and control over my heart and mind.  How do I “lay aside what holds me back?” another version tells me to “Strip off every encumbrance that weighs me down”

I want to lay out three steps to help free us from the slavery of sin (both as a believer and unbeliever) and help us lay aside what weighs us down and run with endurance the race that God has set before us:

1.  Acknowledge our need for God–We all fall short of what it takes.  Where do we need Jesus to change our heart TODAY? (Romans 3:23)

2.  Confession–Confess your sins to one another so that you will be healed (James 5:16)

3.  Repentance–Turning from our sin by depending on God for our strength and not ourselves.  (Acts 3:19)

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We all face trials and tests.  I face them daily whether I am aware of it in the moment or not.  God loves to develop our character and our obedience to His word.  As I grow and mature, God brings to fruition a refinement that changes me to the core.  How deep does the refinement go?

In trials and testing, the inward refinement of my attitude compels me to continue in His Word.

Deep inside at my core lives the very thing that Jesus died to free me from.  Here sin survives, it tempts, drags away, entices and gives birth to death.  But I have the choice to continue in His Word, to be His disciple and live by daily enduring and counting the cost for His name sake.

In Richard Phillips’ new book, The Masculine Mandate, he says this about shepherd-leadership:

Not surprisingly, the model of the leader as shepherd fits perfectly the work-and-keep Masculine Mandate of Genesis 2:15. God placed Adam in the garden to work it—to make it grow—and shepherds are leaders who nurture and inspire the hearts of those who follow. God also called Adam to keep the garden—to stand guard over it—and it is the shepherd-leader who protects those under his charge, keeping one eye always on the flock and the other alert for predators. Good shepherd-leadership, then, will always resemble Adam’s servant-lordship as the flock, like a garden, grows and bears fruit of all kinds under the watchful protection of the shepherd.  (47)

Phillip’s continues to deal with the issue of shepherd-leadership in looking what David says in Psalm 23 and suggests that the psalmist is speaking of three main tasks for shepherd-leaders: guiding, protecting, and caring.  These three tasks are echos from Adams challenge in the Garden found in the excerpt above.

Since many of you do not have “gardens” to tend per se, you currently or in the future, will have men and women under you where, you too, are charged with the  same challenges God gave Adam in the Garden.

Guiding — Shepherd-leaders “must be able to point his followers in the right direction and guide them to safety (48).”  How do we fill this task?  By being competent in what we are called too.  If you are in charge of a desk, squad, platoon, or regiment, you need to be competent with the knowledge that is required to be effective in your duties.  You must master the skills you need, using as many resources available to you.  It is essential that among them, is the study of God’s Word.  What will it take for you to be competent in what you are called to on your campuses and/or units?

Protecting — Shepherd-leaders must protect their people from threats or adversity that would seek them harm.  Take the initiative to be ready to protect your people when the time comes.  It surely will come.  David used the symbolism of the authority and protection of the shepherd’s sheep in Psalm 23:4 when he describes the rod and staff as a comfort to them.  The shepherd’s staff has a long hook on it to grab the necks of wayward sheep and put strays back on the right path.  “Followers rightly expect leaders to enforce proper rules and shape godly behaviors (49).”  The rod is to protect the sheep from predators and the like.  Like the sheep, your people will look to you, their faithful leader who sits in position of authority, for protection.  What are the ways you can protect your people in your ROTC units?

Caring — Shepherd-leaders must care for their people and meet their needs.  As David sums Ps. 23 up, he concludes in last few verses emphasizing provision, acceptance, blessing, and belonging.  As leaders, we must provide our people with the tools necessary to complete the mission, and complete the mission well.  We must “be fully accepting of those sheep God has called us to lead and make sure they are aware of that fact (49).”  With all the imperfections, weakness, strengths, abilities, and skills, accept your people as they are and care for them.  Be a blessing to your people.  Do not lord over them in an “I’m the boss.  Do what I say.” mentality, but care for them by blessing them and serving them.  In all this, your people will feel a sense of belonging to the unit and mission.  In what ways can you care for the people on your campus and in your units?  How can you communicate to them that they are valuable?

As a shepherd-leader, guide, protect, and care for your people.  This is your biblical mandate as a leader.