Duty is the fourth character of leadership. Jesus Christ -he is Lord; master, ruler over all. In the military we have the chain of command. The highest rank of enlisted for example is Command Sergeant Major. When you sign a contract with the US Military, you have an legal obligation to follow the rules. Id like to mention like accepting Jesus its voluntary, just like enlisting in the military-no one forces you to. Yet when you do you accept the moral responsibility to follow his teaching, and help others know his word. In the US Army I was taught from basic training that I should not only complete my tasks, but also help others in the team finish their responsibilities. They would call it “mission” Soldiers are charged with carrying out lawful orders (instructions) and if they do not, there are consequences like losing rank, pay, freedom or getting a bad discharge.
In the bible the definition of duty is very clear, it says “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” Its pretty simple and straight forward. One of my personal favorite “direct order” comes from the old testament, the book of Micah chapter 6, verse eight. He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? In my experience I was raised in a Christian home, taught discipline in the military. I rebelled, and backslid like the prodigal son. I knew better, what was required of me. My compromises in life ultimately brought me to the hospital, almost dying from Covid to learn to walk with Jesus humbly again !
Jesus is referred as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and very often in my life I have heard others mention that my own character qualities, like for example having passion is like that of a lion. Its for that reason Im using the lion as an example to illustrate duty. The lion is one of the worlds most interesting, and certainly one of the most respected animals. Lions have the ability to delegate tasks without interfering, or micromanaging others. The female lion goes out and hunts, then brings back the food for the male to eat first. He in turn respects her by carrying his duties out such as watching the cubs, and defending the pride’s territory. The lion cares enough for others, that even after he eats his meal, he leaves the left-overs for its kingdom such as birds, and other creatures to eat. The lesson to learn here is to not be lazy, but help shoulder the responsibilities.
In the US Army there was situations where you had to think very carefully about what someone told you to do. Thankfully I was never asked to do something illegal, yet I heard stories about other soldiers wo were. As a leader I know that there was usually three categories of duty: specified duties-which meant meant like responsibilities that were related to my job- such as maintaining personal appearance. The was directed duties, that is when my supervisor would give me written or oral instruction for me to complete in a timely manner. The last category was implied duties, and typically it would involve tasks that may not be specifically related to my job. One such example would be something that would improve the overall quality of the team such as doing equipment inspection to make sure things were working properly, like gear used for deployment.
The conclusion of all this is to say that everyone whether they are military, or civilian. Everyone is part of a team, and has to answer to a chain of authority. There are consequences for not following instructions, or just being careless. When we make a mistake, its human nature to make a excuse-to cats blame on circumstances. However sin is wrong, and we need to take personal responsibility for our actions. The practical solution would be to humble yourself, admit your faults, ask forgiveness, and then make the change. Be part of the solution, not the problem (like the military would say)-take initiative when no one else is watching you. Do what you see needs to be done without being asked. Ask Christ to help you, and when you set an example of responsibility, then others will see that, and they will follow your leadership.
