“Sloppy Through And Through” (Matthew 16:23; 25:31ff; Mark 9:29; John chapter 6; 1:1ff; 1 Peter 1:13)

When sloppiness, seen through and through,
Is witnessed from whichever view,
It has some labels, heard enough,
Which all come down to lacking “tough” –

From dawn to dusk, year in year out,
Throughout all ranks and those about
Who look like leaders, officers,
But aren’t obeyed, or even heard.

So training “Loosey-goosey” is;
Strict discipline has long since fizzed;
There is no skill to trickle down
To those whose boots are on the ground.

Instructions never seen quite clear;
And orders, never backed by fear
Of consequences when not done –
“Asylum’s by the inmates run”.

Enlightenment is viewed as ease –
“Just kidding, man – do as you please”;
No duties to be done each day;
With uniforms in disarray.

The rules are more suggestions – there’s
No guidance, fences, boundaries, care
For those now bullied in the ranks;
And certainly no “Please” or “Thanks”.

Deployment to formations clear
Is never seen – like horse that rears
And won’t abide by reins and bit,
Sheer chaos is result of it.

Haphazardness with groups of men,
From millions down to troops of ten,
Disaster is for all involved –
With tougher ways this problem’s solved.

For battle times are hard enough
When men deploy in structures tough,
But firm enough to lean upon;
With structured-strength, the battle’s won.

Without such structure, riot comes;
Disorder, chaos often runs
Throughout the rank and file all ways,
And turbulence describes their days.

Whose fault is this? One at the top
He sets the standards – way he talks
Gives clues to one and all around,
“This is how forces will be found”.

Men need distinct authority
Built-in, spelled out, for all to see;
Enforced with justice evenly;
Enlightened there most certainly.

“Set moral high-ground through and through”
Is task for General to do;
He sets the tone, insists on it;
From there each person does his bit.

Lord, looked at from this point of view,
I’m glad our General is You –
Enlightened firmness; orders clear;
Well trained; equipped – allays our fear.

You said, “My friends obey My voice”
Faced Peter, Judas, with a choice –
“Get in, get out, or go away;
Make up your minds – right here, today”.

You took the time to spell things out;
To young and old, you left no doubt
Where moral high-ground lay for You;
Then taught Your people what to do.

Yet as I look around today,
I see “The Church” in dis-array;
A few get tough, but mix things up –
A “fishing shack” is not enough.

For “Church” as building, is a place
Where fishing’s done – in any case
It’s not the Kingdom-layer, nor is
That seen as part of church’s biz.

So “Training” is to “Get a life”;
Some guidance as to wrong and right
Are given, out of context clear –
Your larger task we never here.

But this could turn upon a dime
If task You do is battle line
For one and all, the context large,
Set out for us with You in charge.

Lord, thanks for insight through Sun Tsu,
Of what it means to bide in You,
And be Your body – hands and feet –
That light through love the dark defeats.

Thanks Lord for this.

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