Stewardship

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Do you remember the old song:

"You're in the Army now.
You're always behind the plow.
You'll never get rich, you're digging a ditch.
You're in the Army now."

Well I do ,and I also remember what it was like to enlist in the Navy. I signed away most of my rights and privileges when I did. I was no longer my own. For the length of my enlistment I was property of the US Government to use as they saw fit whether I liked it or not.

It was not about me anymore it was about being a sailor and part of the crew of the submarine. A submarine whose mission was more important than I was, and that, if necessary, I was expected to lay my life down for it whether I liked it or not. And if I thought otherwise I was the "Burger King" of the bunch (because at Burger King you get it your way), and, frankly, being "Burger King" generally resulted in unnecessary pain and suffer.

The reality was I was in the Navy. I was expected to do the work necessary to make my boats (submariners call submarines, boats) mission successful. I was not going to get rich. I might have to dig a ditch (or paint the hull). I was in the Navy.

As I grapple with the calling God has put on my life and truth of the war that is going on around us in the spiritual realm everyday, I realize that I am again in the Army, the Lord's Army. And that I have been the "Burger King" about a lot of things.

I wanted worship to be my way at church. I wanted all my prayers to be about me. I wanted all the blessing for myself. I only wanted to serve when it was convenient or when it was in an area that I felt "called to". I did want to get into spiritual or physical shape. I wanted it my way. I wanted a Whopper with cheese and no pickles when I was offered a MRE.

It was all about me.

Well, in the last year or so, it has become painfully clear that it is not about me. It is about God. He called me to his Army and he has a role for me to play in it. And it is an important role (because all roles in the Lord's Army are important.) But I am not going to the center of attention all the time, and when I am, it is going to be about God and not about me. And, finally, if I do not do what God has asked me to do there are consequences for me and for others, eternal consequences.

So what am I saying? What is the bottom-line here? It is this, when Jesus laid down his life on the cross to atone for your sins and mine, we where bought out of bondage with a terrible price. And when we choose to accept the gift of grace and mercy offer to us, we came under the authority of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, and enlisted in his Army.

When we joined the Lord's Army it went from being about us to being about God, so get serious, grow up, get over yourself, pick up your sword and shield, and join the fight.

"You're in the Army now.
Get behind that plow.
You're already rich, dig that ditch.
You're in God's Army now!"

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