{"id":56147,"date":"2005-11-24T18:47:00","date_gmt":"2005-11-25T00:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=56147"},"modified":"2022-11-24T18:50:46","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T00:50:46","slug":"expendable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/expendable\/","title":{"rendered":"Expendable"},"content":{"rendered":"\nby Robert F. Turner
\nvia Plain Talk, February 1974\n

\"\"During World War II, when British troops were facing Dunkirk; when our boys were pushed from Bataan; someone applied the term “expendable” to forces left to cover the withdrawal. They were considered certainly lost — given to the enemy — their death or capture, the price paid for what was hoped to be some greater gain. There were examples of men accepting, even choosing this role, because they too believed in the greater end. One must believe in and greatly love his country to freely make such a sacrifice.<\/p>\n

How many soldiers of the Cross are willing to consider themselves (their pride, their comforts, not to mention their life) expendable in order that the greater purposes of His kingdom might be achieved?<\/p>\n

Do we dare consider that “giving ourselves” to Christ means just this? The Apostle Paul could ask others to pray that Christ be magnified, whether by his life or his death (Phil. 1:19ff). He considered himself expendable. He had long ago “died with Christ<\/em>” (Romans 6:6-11), so that his own life, his earthly desires and appetites, were “hid with Christ in God<\/em>” (Colossians 3:2-3). The greater end, service to his Master and the eternal reward, so dominated his thinking that no demands were too great. He was not his own (I Corinthians 6:19; 7:22-23), but was, and urged others to be “a living sacrifice<\/em>” (Romans 12:1ff).<\/p>\n

Had you rather suffer wrong than see Christ’s cause suffer? Will you swallow your pride rather than see the greater work damaged? That’s what it takes when one is expendable. But this is no easy role to accept. We find ourselves reasoning that others get by without making the sacrifice — why me? “If any provide not for his own –” is always good for rejecting the financial pinch; and we “live to fight tomorrow” in the more important battles — which somehow never come.<\/p>\n

To us “expendable” says “worthless” but to Christ it was the way to find one’s life, (Matthew 10:39). He “died for the people, that the whole nation perish not<\/em>” (John 11:50-51; 12:32).<\/p>\n

Full service to Christ begins the day we see ourselves as “expendable.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Robert F. Turner via Plain Talk, February 1974 During World War II, when British troops were facing Dunkirk; when our boys were pushed from Bataan; someone applied the term “expendable” to forces left to cover the withdrawal. They were considered certainly lost — given to the enemy — their death or capture, the price…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[642,463],"class_list":["post-56147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-christianity","tag-humility"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27815,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/tv-and-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":56147,"position":0},"title":"TV and Religion","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Floyd Chappelear Stand, October 1993 I would like to add some thoughts concerning the way television networks treat the subject of religion. Numerous surveys have shown that \"at best\" the media treats religion as if it were an unimportant, insignificant part of people's lives in spite of the fact\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37727,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-greater-progress-of-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":56147,"position":1},"title":"The Greater Progress of the Gospel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer One of the highlights of Paul's attitude is that he was always more concerned for the spread of the gospel than for his own personal agenda or safety. He was willing to die for the Lord if it meant that the gospel would be proclaimed and more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Paul-in-Prison-300x207.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":86423,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-time-of-reformation-prophesied\/","url_meta":{"origin":56147,"position":2},"title":"The \u201cTime of Reformation\u201d Prophesied","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton In Hebrews 9, the Holy Spirit tells us that the tabernacle and its furnishings were imposed \"until the time of reformation\" (Hebrews 9:10-11). The physical items used were merely teaching items to illustrate the spiritual things that would come into play in a new and better\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20819,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-all-sins-equal-is-no-sin-greater-or-worse-than-another-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":56147,"position":3},"title":"Are all sins equal? Is no sin greater or worse than another sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 9, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have heard sin is sin and no sin is greater, heavier, or worse than the other.\u00a0 Is this scriptural, if so where is this found, or is this old hearsay? Answer: If you are looking at it from the ultimate result of unrepented sin, all sins lead to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89155,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/there-was-no-room\/","url_meta":{"origin":56147,"position":4},"title":"There Was No Room","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton The couple was about to give birth to the Son of God. They could find no place to stay due to the influx of visitors coming to register for the census, which was imposed by the Roman government.\u00a0This was the hometown of many people who had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27890,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-your-legacy\/","url_meta":{"origin":56147,"position":5},"title":"What Is Your Legacy?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant An old saying says there are only two things that are certain - death and taxes. And there is much truth in that. \ud83d\ude0a Something in today's paper got my mind thinking about one of those certainties -death. And what about death? 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