Banquet Begets Sermonette

Ok, so I have this bad habit of attending banquets and such and once hearing a great quote I start writing mini devotionals/sermonettes. Now, I don't consider myself a preacher, but the messages I write are great conversation starters.

I attended the Care Net Banquet tonight...CareNet is the opposite of Planned Parenthood. They are ProLife, while at the same time providing counseling and prayer for girls and guys when faced the prospect of an unplanned pregnancy.

One of the speakers gave a quote and was referencing the new movie "300". "300" is about the battle between the Persian army and the Spartans. At the time of the battle the Persian army had about 1 million men (yep, that is a lot), while the elite Spartan group had only 300! I'm thinking that the odds aren't too great here! This elite group of 300 men are the core army that the Persians had to get around before fighting the rest of the army. I'm sure you are thinking that it would be an easy task; however, the Spartans had better shields and lances, and more forward thinking in regards to battle. The amount of Persian men that died before conquering the Spartans is astronomical!

The leader of the Persian army (in the movie) said to the Spartan leader, "We will darken the air with Persian arrows."

The Spartan leader replied, "Then we will fight in the shade."

Here are my mini sermonette notes to ponder on:

The Spartans had an elite company of 300 men. I want to be a part of God's elite army. What steps do I need to take to be a part of this army?

1. Readiness: You need to be ready at a momen'ts notice to go into battle. When He says go, you need to be ready. There is no time to tie up loose ends and such. Jesus did the same when choosing His disciples. Some men wanted to go back and say goodbye to family members and such, God said, "No. Follow me now" (my translation).

2. Faithfulness: Do what He says, when He says and be reliant/dependent upon God and He will bless you for your faithfulness.

3. Eagerness: This eagerness is not an eagerness that pushes to the point of over zealousness that creates pride, and then eventually becomes our downfall. If you show a spirit of not wanting to go and would rather lag behind then what good are you going to be in battle?

4. Frontline Adventurer: Frontline adventurers are those who have a zealousness and passion for the cause. They are banded together in unity for a specific casue and go forth even knowing that death might be the end result.

Elitism is not necessarily a bad thing! When we hear the word elite, we think people that are the best of the best. When we hear the word elitism, we automatically make it a negative connotation and attach bad feelings towards it. Generally elitism are groups made of people who think that they are better than everyone else....the foundation for elitism is generally PRIDE. And we know that pride will get you no where. However, I believe that elitism doesn't have to have negative connotations, and that you can be a part of an elitist group without having pride. How unfortunate that we live in a day and age when we have ranked ourselves above others through the education we have, the jobs we have, our social standing, our political views, and even our religious views.

God has called us ALL to be a part of his army, however, I firmly believe that there is an elite group of men and women who are on the frontlines in front of everyone else. I would call them elitist! I want to be there. I believe that my decision to Go Deep this year is putting me on the front lines. I'm not saying it is easy, or that you are going to walk right through the battle...YOU"RE NOT! You will probably be injured, wounded, and quite possibly left to die....but thank God we serve a GOD who will not forsake us!

He is leading us, He is fighting along side of us, and He is bringing up the rear!