And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." Matthew 8:7-9
Veteran's Day is an opportunity to thank God for our nation and honor veterans who have served. It has me thinking about the chain of command. I remember being in the Coast Guard that the chain of command is something that is taken very seriously. You didn't move outside the chain of command and when it was given, the expectation was that it would be obeyed.
I wonder if we take Jesus' command as serious. Jesus told us if we loved Him we would obey his command (John 14:15). What did Jesus command us? He commanded us to love one another as He has loved us. Earlier in the Gospel of John Jesus said that “by this all men will know that we are his disciples.” (John 13:35).
Unity in the military is vital. Obedience is absolutely necessary. It is even more so needed in the Body of Christ. Jesus is our commander and chief! His commands are expected to be followed. My prayer is that we in the church would take His commands seriously and will follow Him in every way, demonstrating our love for him in our obedience.
PRAYER: Lord help us, help us to die to ourselves, help us to live this life through you, abandoned to you. Lord, you are the One who has purchased us and you own us. Lord we are Yours and Yours alone. May we be known as Your followers because of our love for one another and because we obey you and follow your commands.