"God's Army" is on the move!
Those are the words my sixth grade Sunday School teacher used to say to the half a dozen or so of us who sat in the row of folding chairs facing him. Even back then, I found the imagery a little silly. Worse, I don't think I ever fully understood what he meant by the metaphor. It was the mid 1980s. I was 11. I didn't know war. Courage, discipline, and dedication eluded me. Yet, 25 years later, I still remember the message: "The day of reckoning is near. Do what you're told. Do the best you can, and maybe there will be a medal for you in the end."
As time passed, I began to do more and more FOR God. After all, he was the big boss, the commander general, and I was just a lowly private. All my life, I've been trying to work my way up the ranks. How strange that the harder I worked, the more I did, the farther I felt from the the big guy. Maybe he didn't create me to be his soldier. Maybe he created me for something more.
Seven values define the United States Army, including loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
Hmmm...So, as a Christian, what do those values mean for me? The Army's values are an enviable ideal. Spiritual warfare is real and unrelenting. What does God really expect of me? All seven values work in harmony to produce a well-rounded soldier. As a member of God's army, I often made myself a martyr of just two: duty and selfless service. I would prepare elaborate meals on a weekly basis for families in need, often feeding my own family PB& J or calling "fend for yourself" as I headed out the door with a four course meal for someone else. I ran errands or sat with sick friends, leaving my own children with a sitter. I was often tired and cranky as I spread God's love to others. Is that the life God called me to lead?
When I read the Bible, I find that God commands, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) He further confirms this desire during his visit at the home of Mary and Martha when he gently chides, "Martha, Martha...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10: 41-42). Then Psalm 73:28 says, "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." In all three of these passages, nearness and stillness strengthen the relationship and showcase God's glory. The more I get to know God, the more I want to tell people about his good works, not mine.
During this season of giving, may you be encouraged to serve wherever you are called. God certainly gave us gifts and talents that they might be used. Remember, however, to pause to give God both the thanks and the glory. I learned a valuable lesson all those years ago. And no wonder I felt far away from God!
Prayer, thanksgiving, and study are all wonderful tools for developing the relationship you desire. Serving and giving are good, but there is something counter-intuitive, something that begs quiet and invites meditation, and that's where the real gifts are. I'm all about doing, but when the doing gets in the way of the relationship, it's time to take a step back. Take a seat. Open your Bible. Say a prayer. Ask God to show himself to you. The best thing you can do FOR God is to allow him to do something amazing THROUGH you. Then you'll be amazed at what God does IN you.
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