"No
one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his
friends." - John 15:13
The
last couple of days I have had the opportunity to reflect upon the sacrifices
that have been made by our men and women in the United States Armed Forces.
Sunday morning we stopped for a moment during our morning worship service to
remember the ultimate sacrifice made by 1,321,343 Americans who have died in
battle since the American Revolution. The North American Mission Board has distributed
to our church fifty prayer cards to pray for our Southern Baptist military
chaplains. I am praying for Commander George James Mendes, U.S. Navy Chaplain
serving in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I have challenged our church to remember them
in prayer until July 4th. On Memorial Day, I rested at home with my family but
I never forgot why I was able to do so. I am able to enjoy my freedom because
of the countless number of those who have served and still serve today.
I
love to watch movies/documentaries about World War II. My fascination with
World War II is probably due to the fact that my grandfather served in the
Pacific during this war. I have enjoyed watching Patton for many years and yesterday I watched Tora! Tora! Tora! for the first time. I greatly enjoyed it! I know
they are just movies but for me they give me a glimpse at the sacrifice that
these service men and women have made for the freedom that I enjoy. Many of
these service men did not have a choice in serving their country due to the
draft, but they have all served faithfully and heroically. It is amazing to me
that they would sacrifice theirselves for our continued freedom.
To
all of our service men and women in the United States Armed Forces, past or
present, Thank You for your service and your commitment to freedom!
As
Christians, we should be reminded of our Savior's sacrifice when we look at our
service men and women who have sacrificed their all for our freedom. We have a
Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ who has laid down His life and sacrificed His
all for our freedom from the penalty of sin. We should never let a day go by
that we do not praise God and thank Jesus for His sacrifice that has saved us
if we believe in Him. As Christians, I think we should also be inspired by the
sacrifice of our service men and women. These men and women fought, some
survived and some unfortunately did not however they were all committed to
serving our nation. I wish the same thing could be said of Christians today. As
Christians, we can stand to learn a lot from the service and sacrifice of those
who have served in the United States
Armed Forces.
Let
me give you one question to think about: Where would our nation be today if
those men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces had the
same work ethic and commitment as many American Christians and Churches do
today?
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