Following Jesus...Its not for Wimps #5, Never Leave a Fallen Man Behind!!!

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

Today we look again at the Ranger Creed and see how it compares to the walk of faith of the fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. Do you set out to defeat satan and live the Christian life energetically? Or do you live it passively. Do you realize that in a fight the one who is passive gets defeated by the one who is aggressive? Some might say "what if I choose not to fight?" Guess what, you're a born again believer; you made your choice to fight already. So you might as well jump up and fight the good fight to win!

I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Did you know this goes for the devil? You the born again believer are no match for the devil. But the devil is no match for the redeaming blood of Christ. Its like being a Ranger as opposed to a regular soldier. Nothing wrong with being a regular soldier, but Rangers you understand, are hard tough people. In fact you might say a Ranger is "hard as woodpecker lips!" The blood of Jesus is like a spiritual Ranger Tab. The Ranger tab is the shoulder patch that identifies a Ranger. The blood of Jesus shed at the cross identifies the bekiever from other "religious" people. Here's the kicker, there is no half hearted fight. We must fight the good fight....like the Ranger with all our might.

Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country. Did you know that Rangers never, ever, ever leave a fallen Ranger to fall into the enemy's hands. They will carry, drag, or fight their way to get that Ranger to safety.

In October 1993 3rd Ranger Battalion was in a huge battle in Somalia to overthrow the warlord Muhammad Addid and restore peace to that nation. A Special operations helecopter went down with two Delta Force operators on board. What did the Rangers do? They attempted several times to recover those soldiers. They would not, they could not leave a fallen man behind. Ultimately they could not rescue Sergeant First Class Randall Shugart and MSG Gary Gordon, these two men died. A third man Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durrant was taken and held prisoner.

UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter

In sharp contrast, isn't it interesting how the church of Jesus Christ shoots its own wounded? Someone falls either into sin, sickness, or trouble and we leave them for the enemy to get. Especially if we think they brought it on themselves. A brother faslls, and we leave him. And not only leave him, we go and talk about how bad he is and how he deserved it. We don't care that he's hurt, we don't care that he's wounded. We just walk away.

Did you know the Rangers kick more people out of their unit every year than any Army unit? Why? Because they hold people accountable to a standard. I have seen guys sent packing for things I thought were pretty minor. But the Rangers saw it as serious. But did you also know, that that same Ranger battalion that sent that guy packing today, if he had gotten shot in combat yesterday, would all have risked their lives to save him? Why? They uphold a standard, but they don't leave their wounded....not even substandard wounded.

Crossing the finish line in the Best Ranger Competition

And finally and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country. We touched on this briefly before. We can't do, say, or live in a way that brings dishonor to the body of Christ....period. Men what if someone saw you when you were having those "beers in moderation." or Saw you looking at that Pornographic magazine? I am guilty of speaking to my wife and son in a way at home I never would in public. When I do that I dishonor Christ. And ladies what about those trashy magazines you read? Or what about that so called "ladies night out?" Is it a wholesome time fellowshipping with others or are you out in a club where you think no one sees? Would your choice of entertainment and attire bring honor to Christ, or dishonor?

God Bless, and Hooah!!!!!

JCSE, Quick Reaction Company (Airborne) Patch
MacDill AFB, I wore from Dec 1985-Jan 1989