This coming Monday, our country will observe Memorial Day. I don’t know what your celebration will look like. For many people it is a time to cook and eat a lot of food. For some it merely provides a day off from work. Some will gather with family and friends, but for many of us it is a time to remember with deep appreciation those who risked and gave their lives for freedom.
We are blessed to live in this country. Clearly, few people in all of history and few people on the earth today enjoy the tremendous blessings of liberty that we have here in this country. These freedoms come from God and were secured with the blood of patriots.
I do not pretend that my own country, these United States, is without sin. There are many dark chapters in America’s history. There are many shameful things across the generations, including the betrayal of some who trusted our government. Clearly, America has reasons to repent. Still, I’m very grateful that those who founded this country did so with an awareness that liberty is a gift from God. Freedom is something to be cherished. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
As a Christian, I am most concerned about what God says, not just what our government says or our culture says or my feelings might say. My wife is related to Patrick Henry, the colonial American who famously said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” But, is that really a biblical sentiment? Is freedom worth fighting for?
Let’s look at a few scriptures together that I hope will help you appreciate all the more those who have sacrificed themselves in military service. Jesus, speaking of his own sacrifice, said, “No greater love exists than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The greatest type of love is sacrificial love. The apostle Paul reminds us husbands that this must be our standard (Ephesians 5:25).
In Luke 7 Jesus interacts with a Roman centurion, a man who represents a foreign government and military presence not welcomed by the Jews. This centurion sent a message to Jesus about his servant who was sick and about to die. The messengers pleaded with Jesus to help this centurion because, unlike some Roman soldiers, he had displayed genuine concern and generosity toward his Jewish neighbors. So, Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
This is one of my favorite passages, because Jesus says that this man’s faith is the greatest faith He has seen. The centurion recognized that the reason Jesus was able to do the miracles He did was because of his complete obedience to His heavenly Father. Other people would ask Jesus, “How do you do these miracles?” Jesus would tell them, “I only do what the Father tells me to do. I say what the Father tells me to say.” This centurion understood the nature of authority. He understood that in order to be in authority you have to be under authority, and he recognized that Jesus was doing the will of the One who sent Him.
Jesus commends this professional soldier for his faith and heals his servant. Some people believe that military service is incompatible with Christianity, but Jesus does not tell the soldier to resign from the military. Instead, those who serve honorably should be treated with honor. We should appreciate those who put their lives on the line.
Over the years we have often taken the Ranch’s high school seniors to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. Seeing row upon row of crosses is a very moving experience. Many people have paid a great price in order for us to be free, and Memorial Day is an opportunity for all of us to remember and give thanks.
We need to appreciate and pray for our military and their families, but as we do, we need to realize that no one has ever sacrificed as much for us as Jesus did. Jesus, who never sinned, who always did His Father’s will, took the punishment that you and I deserve. I urge you to pray for those in the military and their families. Even more importantly, I urge you to offer your life in service to the Lord Jesus.
We have a lot to be thankful for. Let’s be sure and give thanks to God.
God bless you!
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