A Phone Call and Fuel for the Flame of God

Last evening, the men in our small group were sitting around the dining room table. We just started to pray when the phone rang. I could hear a voice on the answering machine upstairs that sounded like my son's. We were not expecting him to call home from West Point until the 11th. The phone rang again, and I jumped up from my chair - interrupting the prayer - and took a step toward the kitchen phone, forgetting that I could not walk! With some help, I was able to pick up the phone and talk to our son for two minutes before handing the phone to my wife.

He said that he loves Cadet Basic Training! And that he is doing well. It was certainly good to hear his voice and know that he is enjoying this experience.

As I think aboout the young men and women serving in our military, and as I think about the duty of Christians to serve God and others, I am reminded of another quote.

The wick exists only to be consumed. If it survives, it has failed of its purpose. There is no such thing as costless spiritual service. As we minister to others, virtue will go out of us. Ours is the privilege of offering ourselves as fuel for the flame of God. J. Oswald Sanders