Merriam-Webster (n.d.) defines neutrality as “the quality or state of being neutral especially refusal to take part in a war between other powers.” My beloved, you may have missed the small print that indicated that salvation enlisted you in the strategic military warfare of the Captain of the Host, Jehovah (Yhwh) Sabaoth. You could have read the small print but thought that the army inferences were metaphorical. No, my beloved, we are in a battle, and the confrontation may be invisible, but it is genuine. You were in a struggle before giving your life to the Lord but were unaware of the consequences. Yes, someone may have told you about heaven versus hell, but it did not compel you to make different choices in your everyday life without an understanding. Apostle Paul warns us in II Timothy 2:3-4 that as soldiers, we are not to approach our circumstances as if we were civilians (neutral). Still, we are to be actively engaged in warfare. Unfortunately, God’s soldiers, like the children of Israel, are looking for a neutral stance that gives them the option to do things their way.
God’s mercies are new every morning, and daily we can choose. The choice is who we are going to serve with our time, treasure, and talents. There is not a neutral stance. In the light of scripture, a neutral stance is a choice to serve the kingdom of darkness. The prophet Elijah challenged the people to decide in I Kings 18:21 (KJV). When we try to find a neutral ground, this option defaults to choosing the enemy. When Elijah spoke to God’s people, he said, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” Notice that the people only had two options, but they did not respond; it indicates that they were contemplating a third choice or a neutral stance.
In Deuteronomy 30:19, God gives Israel a choice, His way, which is life, or the course of his enemy, which is death. Daily we must commit to choosing life. We have an option to live God’s way, whether in our homes, meeting rooms, classrooms, or community. What would happen in our world if more of us would choose to live a life reflective of our Heavenly Father. Keep in mind a neutral stance is not an option.
Daily Prayer
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Daily Scripture
II Timothy 2:3-4 Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier (KJV).
I Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, how long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word (KJV).
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (KJV).
References
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Neutrality. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neutrality