LIKE A GOOD SOLDIER

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” – 2 Timothy 2:3

 

Born 9 June 1838, James H. McNeilly grew up near Charlotte in Dickson County, Tennessee. Raised in a devout Presbyterian home, he received his undergraduate degree from Jackson College in Columbia, Tennessee. Just as the Civil War broke out, he had earned his Doctor of Divinity from Danville Theological Seminary at Danville, Kentucky. The 27-year-old returned home to Dickson County, in the summer of 1861, he preached on Sunday and recruited troops for the Confederacy during the week. In October 1861, McNeilly traveled to nearby Fort Donelson, where he offered his services to the South. In September 1862, he was detailed as chaplain for the 49th Tennessee Infantry and went into battle with "the boys." From Port Hudson to the campaign for Vicksburg, to Jackson, to the slopes of Kennesaw Mountain, to Ezra Church, to Franklin where the regiment lost more than 73% casualties including his brother Thomas. 

At the end of the war, he was nearly blind from exposure, having the appearance of a “dirty beast” (as one longtime friend described him), Chaplain McNeilly benefitted from many kindnesses given him by strangers and friends as the War finally ended and his faith endured.

 

Like a good soldier of Christ, we need to endure all that comes before us. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for any hardship you face, knowing that He will give you the strength to stand. 

 

“We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials, God is shaping us for higher things.” - Henry Ward Beecher

 

God’s Word: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” – Hebrews 12:7