What's "Expendable"???

Something or someone is expendable if it or they can be given up or spent or consumed because it or they are less important than something or someone else.

The conduct of war itself is a great example of expendability. As we conduct a war against Islamic terrorism in Iraq, our president has to make decisive choices about who and what is expendable. Are the lives of thousands of our young troops expendable for the common good to stop terrorism abroad and at home? Is the risk of destroying our economy an expendable choice for building a democratic Iraq? Are the people of Iraq caught up in the war expendable?

During World War II, President Truman had to make a horrific choice. Were the 100,000 people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed by atomic bombs expendable to prevent a possible million casualties on our side anticipated in an invasion of Japan?

I recently watched on old World War II movie on TV titled, "They Were Expendable". It is the story of how, in the military, there always comes a time when a commander must make a hard decision to sacrifice a certain number of his men is order to win a battle or a war. Some of his soldiers must be considered less important than the good of the whole unit. The movie showed how it is a heart-wrenching decision for anyone to have to make. Who are the really expendable soldiers? What makes one fighting unit more expendable than another?

On an individual basis, the Moslem suicide bomber sees himself or herself as expendable in a terroristic way to further the overall cause in the Islamic conflict.

In the judgment for Christ's crucifixion, Caiaphas had explained over and over again that it was expedient that Jesus should die. It is expedient, he said, that one man should die for the sake of the people. Jesus is expendable, Caiaphas decided. One reason God raised Jesus from the dead is that we should be clear – once and for all – that there is nothing more important than being human.

Something like ages ago, some human beings got all caught up in the illusion that being human is a relatively unimportant sort of proposition in the overall existence of the universe. We are born, live and die – just like all life around us, they say. "Live for today for tomorrow we die!"

What's more tragic, of course, is that in the wake of this basic error, there quickly followed the idea that human beings are expendable, which easily degenerated into the proposition that some people are expendable. Certain human beings are expendable. Really bad guys are expendable. Guys with low I.Q.'s are expendable. Anyone who disagrees with me is expendable. These ideas of who is expendable and who is not have to do with the human illusion of independence. People are seen to have degrees of importance.

Well, that's NOT true. It's wrong. All wrong. And it has always been wrong. From the creation of the heavens and the earth, it has been – WRONG! There is nothing more important than being human. Our lives have eternal significance. And no one – ABSOLUTELY NO ONE – IS EXPENDABLE TO GOD.

The beauties of our material world – the animals, plants, mountains, stars, planets, moons, galaxies -–all pale into insignificance next to humans. These material things are all expendable. But NOT ONE human being is expendable to God. "God our Savior will have all men to be saved, and to come into the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). "...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

This is not just some giant ego trip that Christians are on. Unbelievers, who say that today we live and tomorrow we die, would accuse us of such egotism. They might say that humans are expendable for the evolution of the race. Well, that's not true. It's wrong. All wrong.

What makes humans so important to God? God shows us in His Word that He has a purpose and a plan for all human beings. GOD DESIRES TO INCREASE HIS DIVINE FAMILY. The Bible talks about two things that God did "before the foundation of the world". Before anything material was created and before time as we know it existed, God did two things that we know of. One - He portioned off pieces of Himself, of His divine nature, His spiritual "DNA", to be joined to His human creations in a spiritual birth (or, rather, rebirth). Two - He offered up the sacrificial Lamb, His Son, Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for the sins He knew His human creations would commit out of weakness.

God wanted children in His Family containing His own uncreated nature. But He did not want little automatons or spiritual "robots" for children. He wanted children who would choose to receive His fatherly love and to return it willingly to Him.

Thus, we have the whole reason for the creation of the material universe. This world is a schoolhouse to bring humans to the understanding of God's plan. We must be taught by trial and error:
* our own human weakness;
* God's all powerful strength;
* God's willingness to impart this strength to us by a new birth;
* Jesus Christ Himself comes to live within this newly birthed Christian;
* the Holy Spirit of God comes also to live within and guide us to understanding of day to day living.

Look at the example of human parenting. Those who have children know that not one of their children is expendable. Every one of them is precious to us in their own way. A parent desires the absolute best for a child. I have four children myself and see each one as uniquely gifted and valuable and certainly NOT expendable. Okay, so I did use to say in exasperating times, "I wouldn't take a million dollars for any of my children, but I wouldn't give you a nickel for another one!" But each one has precious qualities – none is less important or expendable.

Mother Teresa and Adolph Hitler were each created just as important to God. John D. Rockefeller and that homeless person in that tent down by the river both have the same glorious potential to be children in God's Family.

Yes, our leaders and even right down to suicide bombers must make human choices of expediency. BUT GOD MAKES NO SUCH CHOICES REGARDING HUMANS.

Those who are as old as I can remember during World War II the recruitment posters showing Uncle Sam pointing a finger at us saying, "I want you!"

Well, the whole Bible of 66 Books containing 1,189 chapters is a giant recruitment poster with a HEAVENLY FATHER pointing a finger at us and saying, "I WANT YOU FOR MY CHILD! YOU ARE NEVER EXPENDABLE!"

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