“One who is samurai must, before all things, keep constantly in mind, by day and by night… that he has to die.” - Daidoji Yuzan (16th Century) 
From what I understand about samurai, their lives were lived with the utmost respect given to the power of their enemies, yet all the while knowing full well that to do battle with such an enemy would bring glory either way that engagement ended. To die honorably was to have lived honorably. To defeat the foe was to have done ones duty with honor and respect. Both brought glory to the lord or emperor represented by the samurai. “The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.” – A. W. Tozer
I love that quote. It emphasizes the need for us to be completely holistic in our response to God's Word. To be samurai-like in our pursuit of Christ-like perfection. Christianity and the practice of it, we call it worship, it not something to be given a brief glance and then discarded like the practice of most mundane thing. It’s much more than simply, “time to make the donuts”. It’s a diligent devotion, carried out in the every day happenings from the actions we take to the thoughts that make those actions come to life.
It is God perfecting in us, the art of servanthood.
Posts
Great post. I always say we need more warriors for God. There are not enough warriors (or samurai) anymore. Prayer warriors, Bible reading warriors, worship warriors, servant warriors, love warriors. Believing, serving, following, and devoted to God so much that you are living and possibly dying for the cause of Christ.
ReplyDeleteI think just the Samurai gear would be cool if still in fashion. Can you imagine leading worship with that stuff on? I love the idea of being a warrior as well. This Christianity thing gets the rap for being a light-hearted, wussy, approach to life and nothing could be farther from the reality of it.
ReplyDeleteLiving like Christ makes a man out of you fast. You are faced with such hard decisions, who to honor, making the right choice all the time, self-sacrifice, etc. All that comes with being a Christ follower is the most sold-out lifestyle I can think of. More than any Samurai could ever hope for.