The motto of the Air Force Chaplaincy is “Caring for Airmen more than anyone thinks possible.” It’s a good motto and gives us a great vision to encourage chaplains to 1) care 2) go the extra mile 3) exceed expectations, and 4) identifies our missions field as members of the United States Air Force community.
But, as is the case with all great principles, it’s only as
good as the one applying it. It’s a good general principle to care for Airmen
(plural and anonymous), but it’s entirely another thing to care for a difficult
Airman (singular and known-by-name). Many chaplains on a general level would
say amen, but it’s entirely another difficulty to stay late, love the unlovable,
and spend and be spent for individuals.
Jeremiah Burroughs, who wrote The Rare Jewel of Christian
Contentment, emphasizes the principle of applying your theology to specific
circumstances, he said, “There is great deceit in the general. Men will confess
they are sinners, but do not think of any particular sin. They will confess
they must be better, but never come to the particular work of repentance."
General principles say things like, “All have sinned, rejoice in all
circumstances, love your neighbor, love your spouse, be an active member of a
local church,” but they get hard in the specifics when you say, “But there are
much worse sinners than me, my circumstances are impossible, my neighbor is a
jerk, my spouse is unlovable, and there are no good churches near me.” It’s
easy to say amen to the general ideas, but the blessings come from the
difficult application into the specific.
Each of the principles I’ve shared heretofore will make you
a better chaplain, if you apply them. It’s not enough to consider them and then
shelve them, you must be ready to utilize them and seek out men and women to
minister to.
“It is a sad condition when men are content with a general conviction, a general profession, and a general repentance.” ~ Jeremiah Burroughs
Key Verse: Be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves. ~ James 1:22
More:
1. John Owen applies this principle to individual sins, which
is where we should all start, “General notions of conviction may quiet the
conscience, but only specific applications of truth will kill sin.” Where are
you failing in loving God and your neighbor? Get specific. How can you repent
today and make a plan of continued repentance?
2. If any of the chapters of this series especially pricked
your conscience, how can you do more research into God’s word to verify the
truth, then plan to walk in the works which he’s prepared beforehand for you to
walk in?
3. If you’ve mentored any young ministers you’ve likely run
into glory seekers who want to be the next celebrity pastor. There is honor is aspiring
to great things (1 Timothy 3:1), so we don’t want to squash ambition, but my
heart breaks when I see those wannabe super-pastors despise the day of small
things when God puts menial people in their paths, small churches under their watch
care, and out of the way small bases as their first chaplain duty station. Unfortunately,
I’ve seen several of them become bitter and leave the ministry for their
unfaithful service. If you’re faithful in the small things (specifics), God
will entrust you with greater things; so how can you rejoice in the day of small
things, recognizing you’re serving eternal souls and a great God? The salvation
of a single soul is of more value than all the kingdoms and the glory of the
earth, for the earth will perish, but the soul is eternal.
4. Further Resources:
Burroughs, Jeremiah. The Evil of Evils: The Exceeding
Sinfulness of Sin. Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1999.
Burroughs, Jeremiah. The Rare Jewel of Christian
Contentment. Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1999.
Spurgeon, Charles. Obedience Better than Sacrifice.
Sermon No. 1644, delivered March 5, 1882. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pulpit, vol. 28. London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1882.
https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/obedience-better-than-sacrifice/
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