Honor in the Sacrifice

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Life Together   CURRENT TV SERIES All In: The Family

For many in America, Memorial Day marks the start of summer – three months of sun-drenched days, warm evenings, barbecues in the backyard, and vacations at the beach. But largely lost in all that is the true meaning of Memorial Day – the willingness of men and women to answer the nation’s call, knowing the risks they face, willing to give their lives to protect and defend the country they love. What an extraordinarily selfless thing to do! Jesus spoke of such a sacrifice in John 15:12–13: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.” Following the Civil War, in remembrance of those they had lost, people from both the North and South decorated graves with flags and flowers on what came to be known as “Decoration Day.” We call it Memorial Day now, to remember all of the men and women lost in all the wars this country has fought – nearly 1.2 million people. Their sacrifices have guaranteed the religious and civil freedoms that we enjoy, but in today’s culture, often take for granted. Recently I had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, commonly called the Iwo Jima Memorial, in Washington D.C.  I was reminded once again of the sacrifices made by “a few good men.” The fight for that small island in the Pacific caused 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 who were killed. It’s hard to fathom what those brave Marines had to hold onto in the darkest moments of battle if they didn’t have their brothers at their side. We are no different. The battles are different, for sure, but still, they are battles. We are battling illnesses, the loss of loved ones, addictions. We are battling an enemy who has come to kill, steal and destroy. But we are not fighting alone. We must fight in the Lord because the battle is the Lord’s. We must always remember that Jesus has defeated the darkness. We dare not fight without the armor needed to defeat the enemy if we’re going to win this battle. And we can never leave behind our fellow believers in the struggle. We are to always support and encourage them. Likewise, as Christians, let us not forget these brave men and women who fought and sometimes died for us. We must have a heart for them, a burden for them. The Bible says to give honor to whom honor is due, and these American heroes deserve our honor and thanks. And as believers, let us never take for granted the greatest sacrifice ever made – the death on the Cross by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Their Brethren Who Have Served in the Field” Monday, May 27, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!” Psalm 144:1–3 Long before George Washington was a political leader, he served in uniform, fighting in the French and Indian War a decade before becoming commander in chief during the Revolutionary War. He led the small American army against a much larger British force through great hardship, including the winter spent at Valley Forge. Washington never forgot the courage of those men who sacrificed so much. In 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris recognizing America as an independent nation just a few weeks away, Washington sent a letter to the governors of what had been the colonies. It was a prayer recognizing God’s hand in all that had come before. Washington wrote (original spelling and capitalization): “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have the United States in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Devine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.” Today's Growth Principle:  Both political and spiritual freedom only come through great sacrifice made on our behalf that deserve our thanks.