|
|
 As a youngster I didn’t really like following orders from my
father, perhaps because I didn’t like his tone of voice; or the fact that I
just wanted to do my own thing. Taking out the garbage was not my thing; for,
at age 11, I enjoyed playing with friends.
I was drafted into the Army in 1967, and obeying a drill
sergeant was a new, unfamiliar experience. Fortunately, Basic Training lasted
only two months, and my next assignment was more advanced training at Fort Ord,
California. I was about to start this training when I was called upon to be the
Company Clerk. I stayed there for the rest of my first year of service, and
became better acquainted with some fellow soldiers, those that became good
buddies, just like my boyhood friends.
I spent the second year of service in Vietnam, and soon
after arrival, was taking training in the use of hand grenades. One thing I
learned was you always need a fellow soldier to spot for you when throwing a
grenade; making sure you don’t hold it too long, and also for directing your
aim. One miscue, and you’re sent home in a body bag. Your buddy watches out for
you and you watch out for our buddy.
In our Christian life, we are not fellow soldiers, but Fellow
Servants because, unbeknownst to us, God uses our weak, staccato-style
prayer for our friend to impart grace in his life. It’s like the phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, "His will be done
on earth, as it is being done in heaven." God chooses to work through us,
though we are a faulty people, and our prayers seem un-heard.
I spent the last 6 months reading the book of Revelation,
and have recently been dwelling on the phrase, Fellow Servants, (from
the 19th and 22nd chapters). In Chapter 19, John saw
innumerable people singing and praising God. He was so overwhelmed by the
vision that he fell at the feet of the angel to worship him. The angel said I’m
a servant like you, instead—Worship God.
In Chapter 21 and 22, the last chapter of the Bible, the
Angel showed John the vision of Heaven, depicted as a city coming down from the
sky. John again fell prone to worship.
The angel rebuffed him once more reminding him that he too was a
servant. We are Fellow Servants when God works through us. When we pray
for another person, we serve Christ. When we give money in support of our
churches and of our missionaries, we serve Christ. As Fellow Servants we
who serve Christ can then say with delight: "Come, Lord Jesus." And together,
we enjoy Him and serve Him for eternity. "Come."
A friend of Jesus,
Gary Kallio
|