The Mercenary and the Warrior

Are you a mercenary or a warrior?

I speak to the men. A warrior uses his strength in service of a King, or a cause; while a mercenary uses his strength for his own profit.

All of us men; we have a strength. We have strength that can change the world; transform communities; revolutionize history. All of history was changed by men/women with strength. Not your typically Mr Nice Guys that we see so often around us, but men who were wild, dangerous and aggressive.

Not necessarily physical strength, but spiritual.

But we have a choice, our strength can either be used as an instrument for service for a King, or we can use it for our personal gain.

I’m sure you’ve seen these men in the movies; men who use their stregnth for to get more for themselves. Men who will sell their strength for money, men who will abuse their strength for lust, greed and so on. They serve no God, but Money. Money is their god. They will do anything they have to do for money.

On the other side, there are warriors who give their strength for a cause. Characters like Braveheart, Balian (Kingdom of Heaven), Aragon(Lord of the Rings) who lay down their lives in service for a King, or for a cause they believe in. These people are whom we consider noble, upright, righteous: models for all of us men to follow.

The point here is this: Men, all of us we have a strength. For some of us it’s more hidden than the others, but it’s in there. We’re all made in the image of the wild, aggressive, unpredictable God.

Number 2: What are we using our strength for? For our own profit? In service of a King, or a cause? Are you a warrior or a mercenary?

Most of us would like to stand beside the likes of Braveheart, Aragon, Balian; we almost dream about it.

But then what are we using our strength for today? What are you striving for? Are you living your life in service for a cause? Or is all your striving for your eventual personal comfort and security?

Most men choose to use their strength, if any, for their own profit. They work hard, study hard for a comfortable life; their motivations come from their self-perservation. They constantly think about ‘What is it in for me?’

Who can you identify with more today? Braveheart? Or the Scottish lords who sold their lands and people to the English for personal gain?

You have a choice. Like Bruce; he used to be one of those Scottish lords, but he finally made a decision to start on Braveheart’s side. He began to believe.