Christ Gave His Life For You

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

(John 15:13)

I learned pretty early in my life the meaning of Memorial Day. I had four uncles in the military, three of whom were serving in Vietnam. They all survived but many of their friends did not. Several of the young men from my small town did not survive that war. I joined the military at the end of the war to serve my country and honor my uncles’ service.

Several years later, I joined a veterans’ organization, and Memorial Day was a very big deal for us. There was a parade in our village that ended in a large cemetery with hundreds of American flags that decorated the graves of heroes. Those men and women who died in the war, didn’t have to. Even though it was a time of the Draft, they could have run away or gone to prison if they refused to serve. Had they done that they would have survived. But they went to war anyway, knowing they might be killed. This is where I learned about sacrifice.

Many years later, I learned about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Not to take away from the sacrifice of our fallen soldiers, but they perished trying to save a few friends. Nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus loved us so much, he sacrificed himself to save the whole world. He didn’t have to. He could have called down legions of angels to defend him from the Jews and Romans. He didn’t have to come down to the earth at all. He is God, he could have remained in heaven. He obeyed the will of the Father, knowing he was going to suffer and die, he came anyway.

The Apostles loved so much they all died bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to an unbelieving world. Many other, unnamed early church fathers were martyred for the cause of Christ. Many missionaries, in various parts of the world, have died trying to show the love of Jesus to unbelieving people. That’s a love we should remember and emulate on Memorial Day and every day!

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. 

(Joshua 1:9)

Heavenly Father, you are our rock and our refuge from the storms of life. You have told us over and over not to fear, but it’s what we do better than almost anything else. We like to talk like we’re tough, but when it comes right down to it, we’re scared of the unknown. Even the strongest and most courageous of us are afraid at times in our lives. Changing jobs, moving to a new part of the country, or meeting new people can throw some of us into a tizzy. We are easily discouraged by setbacks and failure. We need your help, Lord, not to lose heart when times get tough. Help us to learn to lean on you when we feel weak or not up to the task. Father fill us with the Holy Spirit to help us not to fear the situations we don’t understand. Thank you, Lord, for reminding us you will always be with us as we go through life. Give us the courage to share that good news with everyone we know. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!