A Lesson from the Soldier

I'm going to take this a bit different than what the man who said it was talking about, but it doesn't take away from the truth. The man speaking it was a commander. He understood orders, both giving and taking. But he was talking to Jesus, saying he would do whatever Jesus asked. He was speaking in faith.

But another truth in this is what our soldiers do. They do what is ordered. Even when they might question inside whether it is the best direction to go, they have been trained to do what is commanded without discussion, without voicing their questions.

I appreciate the service, the dedication, the willingness, the commitment of those in service to our country. Those who have gone before and those who serve today. They deserve our honor.

I wonder if we, as soldiers of Christ are so willing to do without discussion, without questioning the rightness of His commands. So often, we read the Bible--the soldier's handbook in the christian walk and we choose the parts we want to believe. We look for the verses that support our cause. We pick out the portions that say what we want to hear.

None of us come to this Book without our personal bias in place. I don't always come to it with the humble attitude of asking God to show me how I should live today, what I need to change in my life to be more like Christ. I don't always see how it might affect me as well as I see how it might affect another. That can be a down side to being a teacher and writer--it's too easy to see how a particular teaching might be good to share rather than first to see how it should affect my life.

I want to circle back to the beginning and reflect on the truth that was being shared originally. When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at the soldier and said that He had not found such great faith even with God's chosen people.

Let's be like the soldier and come to Jesus in faith saying, "Jesus, You just say the word and it will be done. Just say the word and I will obey."