Memorial Day With Jesus Christ

May 31, 2021

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

~Galatians 2:20~

Today is a day we remember all of the fallen soldiers who fought hard to give us freedom. They sacrificed their lives to direct our steps towards liberty. I want to take a moment and say a special blessing for those who are remembering their loved ones who have passed in combat; how brave and loving they were. The Lord honors those who give themselves for others. May the Lord give you comfort and strength today as you honor your family and friends. All of these soldiers knew the risk they were in, they knew they may not come home to hug their family again and they made the decision to fight for us. A beautiful example of what it is like to put on the image of Christ; "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

(Galatians 3:27)

I think we can all agree it takes a great amount of meekness, love and longsuffering to do what our troops have done. Let us remember the One who created these soldiers who gave their lives. Jesus Christ, our great commander in chief, gave His own life for all of us, to lay down a path for true liberty in such a magnificent way. The men and women we remember today gave us physical freedom, our Lord gave us physical and spiritual freedom! Today we focus on memory of death, yet at the same time we can celebrate life eternal! With great love comes great sacrifice.

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13)

We raise our american flags and fly our patriotic banners as we remember our troops and their great love for us. We lift up our crosses and praise our King for His even greater love for us. We can rest assured that one day we may just see those men and women again as we come Home to be with the Lord ourselves. The Lord gave us the choice of life eternal and as we focus on Him we can smile and thank Him as we thank those we remember today. If not for Him, we wouldn't have any freedom today. We would of never known those who fought to put us where we are in the nation, for without Him we would all still be in bondage regardless. What a beautiful time to praise God, we need not feel sad or wish for anything different. We can know that God's plan is always good even if we can't understand it. Jesus knew He would be going to the cross, to His own personal battle field and He laid Himself down to do so. The pain, the tiring hours, the prayers and the knowledge of what would happen did not stop Him as He knew it was God's perfect plan; "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Jesus loves to see His children following His footsteps and submitting to the Father's will. Days for these troops were uncomfortable, scary, tiring, painful and lonely; yet they persevered. "to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness." (II Peter 1:6)

True sacrifice requires self-control and perseverance. It represents godliness in us. We could not do it on our own. Today as we remember those who have fallen, let us thank Jesus Christ for bringing them here for us just as the Father brought Him here for all of us. The blood which was shed by these soldiers cries out to God just as Abel's blood cries out from the ground.

"to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel."

(Hebrews 12:24)

Justice always prevails. God is faithful to give grace. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."

(Ephesians 2:8)

It is a day for the Lord and His children who died in the flesh yet rise again in their spirit. I pray as we celebrate the dead today we also celebrate their life. For Jesus gave it to us and even though we do not know where each and every individual stood in faith, we can trust in God's perfect plan that He knew exactly what was to happen and why. If we believe in the One who made them we can believe in the same One who provides a way for them. The sacricial men and women pave the way for more men and women to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb, in exactly what He has called us to do; to put others before ourselves no matter what. What so ever He calls us into let us be bold and brave to do exactly that as He is with us always. Happy memorial day my friends, God Bless and remember all, especially the One who gave us all.

Prayer:

Father God, thank you for giving Your only Son as a sacrifice for all of us. Today I honor the men and women who also gave themselves for us to witness physical freedom in this nation. Lord, i pray You bless this nation and weigh it on the hearts of those who may not even know what today is even for. Give them the hunger to honor the King of Kings and show love to their neighbors. I am with You and I am grateful for all who we remember today. I receive the same strength, boldness and bravery they all carried to battle; whether it be physical or spiritual battle I know You will always provide. I praise Jesus my Lord who carried His own cross, bled out and took His last breath for my freedom. Bless the families of those who have done the same and may their spirits live with Him now. Fill us with Your peace today. In the Name of the One who paved the way for our liberty, Jesus Christ. Amen.