In The Lord’s Service: Duty Station
Before beginning this article, I wanted to write to those who may be seeing this one first. This article is the fourth in a series, so I would encourage you to find the others and read them. These articles are founded on Paul’s encouragement to Timothy to endure hardships like a good soldier.
2 Timothy 2:3 NLT
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
In carrying out the ministry that God ordained for his life, Timothy would face suffering. I, like Timothy, have a father in the faith that by example, taught and encouraged me to be a servant of the Lord. So, I want to continue to share some more similarities that I learned through instruction and what I experienced between a soldier and a servant of the Lord.
After basic training, members of the military will then be ordered to advance training. It is there that they will receive training to perform their military occupational specialty, or MOS. Upon completion of this training, Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen are assigned a duty station. These duty stations can be at a base within the United States, or overseas in a foreign country. With some exceptions, the service members will not have a say in their assigned MOS, or duty station. All are given for the benefit, or the needs of the military.
In the Lord’s Kingdom, there are no exceptions or requests. Concerning what the Lord wants His servants to do, and where He wants them planted, is His and His decision alone. In Romans 11:29 Paul writes that, “the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.” God is not going to change His mind about where He has called you to be, and what He has called you to do. Whether we choose to obey or not, those gifts and calls will follow us all the way to the Throne. Let me address where or the place first.
1 Corinthians 12:18 NLT
But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where He wants it.
The Holy Spirit through Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church, gives us the illustration of a physical body in relating to the Body of Christ. God has placed each part of our physical bodies in just the right spot, with a specific function, and only has value when part of the whole. Every Christian has a designated place, and role to fill, that is according to His will, not ours. A liver outside the body does no good.
For a soldier to decide that he or she does not like their orders and think that they can choose a base that is close to momma’s house, they would real quick, find themselves in big trouble. I do not know if it is still this way, but during my time, doing something like this, the end would be that they would find themselves making little rocks out of big rocks at Fort Leavenworth.
Many Christians try and write their own orders. Whether by not even asking Him, or ignoring His leading, they will take on the responsibility of choosing where they and their family go to church. They can live their whole lives AWOL or in desertion from where God wants them planted. As an instructor of mine once said, “Get out of your place, be out of His grace, fall on your face.”
Before I move to what a servant does individually, or their Spiritual gifts when he is at his God ordained duty station. Let me share a story told to me. It is said that someone once came to Brother Smith Wigglesworth, a man used mightily by God, and asked him which of the gifts of the Spirit he had been most used in. Brother Wigglesworth’s answer spoke truth to that person, and to us today.
“I don’t know if it be better to have this one or that one, but to just be open to be used however the Spirit sees fit.”
Having this same attitude towards how the Holy Spirit would choose to use a servant, should quench any self-ambitions, impure motives, or the seeking of attention. Servants of the Lord do not seek praise, honor, and recognition from others. It is in serving others as a lifestyle that we begin to understand fully that we are all living in a supporting role. Why? It is not about you! There is a bigger picture here. It is about magnifying Christ and bringing honor and glory to His name.
1 Corinthians 12:1 YLT
And concerning the spiritual things, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant;
The Holy Spirit through Paul starts off talking about spiritual things as something He does not want the Church to be ignorant of. The Holy Spirit is blunt and does not allow any wiggle room. Do not be ignorant! And in His omniscience, He foreknew the goofy ideas that would come from the heads of men. Ideas that these gifts would pass away or that they were for only certain believers. And as He goes further, He takes away any misunderstanding and opportunity for wrong interpretation. He is the source of all gifts 12:4, they are for every believer 12:7, and He decides who gets what 12:11. Just as there are many different occupational specialties in the military, there are different gifts in the Body of Christ. And in the same manner that soldiers must continue to train and improve their skills, The Lord holds us responsible for using and developing His gifts to the example He set for us. (John 14:12)
I do not want to close without the why, or end game for these spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
In equipping us with these gifts, the Lord expects us to serve Him, our fellow believers, and to labor together with Him in building His Church. (1 Cor. 3:9) As a servant of the Lord, we should want to be used to fulfill our part in His plan to build His Kingdom.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.