Grace for the Race

In our final installment on the means of grace, we will take a look at the grace of commitments and see if we are plugged into the power of God’s Spirit . . . or unplugged.

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. (Job 31:1) Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.(Daniel 1:8)

Here we see two wonderful examples of making commitments to keep plugged into the power sent to us from on high. Job made a commitment regarding lustful looks (a huge problem in today’s sex-saturated culture), making a covenant with his eyes. Daniel was in training to enter the service of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, having been taken into captivity in Babylon along with many others of the Jewish nation. Part of this training was to eat what was served at the king’s table, but Daniel made a commitment not to eat the king’s food, which would have violated God’s dietary laws. So . . . how are you doing in the area of commitments? Job made a commitment (plugging into the power of God) against his sinful heart. Daniel made a commitment (plugging into the power of God) against his sinful surroundings. We all must make commitments on both fronts: guarding against violating God’s commands due to the sinful condition of our hearts and the sinful condition of our surrounding culture. One of the best ways to approach this means of grace is to identify some areas of weakness in your life and decide in advance how you will deal with these situations when they come up: If you know you have a weakness in the area of lust, why not make the same commitment Job made? Maybe your weakness lies elsewhere; perhaps you need to make a covenant with your tongue and the language you use . . . perhaps you struggle to control your temper . . . or could it be your credit cards and how you spend your money? When it comes to commitments, we must remember that, by God’s grace, we travel this road in two directions. In one direction we abstain—we avoid sinful practices. In the other direction we advance—we live in a way that is good, right, noble and pleasing to God. The apostle Paul provided the biblical motivation for Christian commitments:

I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.(Romans 12:1)

In view of God’s mercy . . . that’s the key that unlocks the door leading to a life of freedom, joy, and power. God’s mercy—not our merit—is both the inspiration to commit and to carry on in our calling, knowing that when we fall short we are both fully forgiven and completely loved. This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The first Father’s Day in the United States was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane Washington. The day was proposed by in 1909 by Mrs. John B. Dodd, who wanted to honor her father, William Smart, a civil war veteran who raised six children alone after his wife died in childbirth. Clearly, Mrs. Dodd took seriously the Lord’s instruction, set forth in the fifth commandment, to “Honor your father.”

I understand that not all of us had a father like William Smart who seemed worthy of honor. But the Commandment does not tell us to honor our father if he is honorable, we are commanded by God to honor . . . period! We all know—those of us who are fathers are painfully aware—that no father is perfect. We all have our weaknesses, blemishes, blind spots, and flaws. There are many examples throughout sacred Scripture of godly men who were flawed fathers. Two who immediately come to mind are Eli and David; both men pursued God with all their hearts, yet were badly flawed in their roles as parents.

My father went home to be with our Lord on Christmas Day, 1995. But if he was here today, as far from perfect as he was, I would tell him one more time how much I loved him and thanked God for him.

So . . . to all of you who still have dads on this side of eternity, take a moment to honor him today. And to all of you who are dads, here are six pillars of parenting encouragement, which I offer to strengthen your resolve live intentionally as the spiritual head of your home and the father of God’s covenant children.

• Pillar #1 Keep Leaning

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

God is infinite and we fathers are finite. As often as we think we have it all right, we frequently have much of it wrong. Just ask mom! And that is why we must be willing to lean not on our own understanding, but rather on the wisdom of the Almighty. James instructs those of us who lack wisdom (which, of course, if all of us) to ask God and He will give that wisdom to us (James 1:5). The father God is calling us to be is the father who keeps leaning on the Lord.

• Pillar #2 Keep Leading

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)

Fathers are called to be thermostats who set the temperature in the home, not thermometers who simply record it. The biblical definition of leading—serving the Lord and serving others—is the foundation upon which a godly home is built. Remember, it was Jesus who said He did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). The father God is calling us to be is the father who keeps leading his children toward the Lord.

• Pillar #3 Keep Listening

Let the wise listen and add to their learning. (Proverbs 1:5)

With four beloved children (Brock, age 17; Jenna, age 15; Katie, age 11; Tank, age 10), I have learned, often the hard way, why we have two ears and only one mouth. The Bible makes it clear that we are to be much quicker to listen than we are to speak (James 1:19). The father God is calling us to be is the father who keeps listening and learning along the way.

• Pillar #4 Keep Lighting

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

In this dark and depraved world, it is the function of the father to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6), which means we are to light the way for our children through the Word of God. The father God is calling us to be is the father who keeps lighting the path for his children through the Word of God in every aspect of life.

• Pillar #5 Keep Looking

Be alert and always keep on praying . . . (Ephesians 6:18)

Every father is to be the “lookout” for his children, watching for signs of the enemy approaching. Remember, the enemy will look for any and every way into the hearts of our children:  smart phones, music, movies, video games, the Internet, friends . . . everything! The devil “prowls around like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), looking to devour our children; it is our responsibility to keep him out by any means necessary. The father God is calling us to be is the father who keeps watching over his children and praying for them continually.

• Pillar #6 Keep Loving

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25)

All of the above categories, when lived out by faith, demonstrate a father’s love for his children: leaning, leading, listening, lighting, and looking. It is important to note here that the best gift of love we can give our children is the love we demonstrate for their mother. The father God is calling us to be is the father who keeps loving mom as Christ loves His church.

There you have it: six pillars of parenting encouragement. Some of you fathers may be thinking, “I have been messing it up big time!” Well, as Bruce Willis said in Die Hard, “Welcome to the party, pal!” We all mess this up every day, and that is why we so desperately need the truths of the Gospel to rain down upon us each day. We are great sinners in need of an even greater Savior on a moment-by-moment basis.

Scripture instructs us, “In view of God’s mercy . . . offer your bodies as living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). We make this offering in view of the mercy God has shown us in Christ, not in view of our merit—and that certainly includes any merit in the area of being a father. Without the Gospel, we can remain imprisoned to our painful past parenting mistakes.

But this is not for you! The apostle Paul encouraged us to take this view: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Learn from the past, look forward to your promised future, and live in the present, knowing that you are unconditionally loved and eternally forgiven. This provides the power to press on into these pillars of parenting, knowing that you go not in your own strength, but in the strength of your Savior.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Jesus promised us that “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8). God gives us power through the indwelling of His Spirit and through the means of grace the Spirit uses to apply that power to us.

Last time we looked at the power available to us in God’s living and active Word. Today we will look at another means of grace —prayer—and see if we are plugged into it . . . or unplugged.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  (Matthew 7:7)

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

(Ephesians 6:18)

Pray continually . . . (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Draw near to God . . . (James 4:8)

So . . . how is your prayer life these days? As you can see from the Scriptures listed above, we are not only invited into prayer, but we are commanded to pray. I believe one of the main reasons we are commanded to pray is to help us overcome our own sense of unworthiness in coming to the Throne of Grace. We may often feel unworthy, especially after we have done something we ought not to have done. Then, when the devil chimes in with his accusations, we can begin to believe that heaven’s gate has been closed to us.

This is simply NOT TRUE; and that is why we must remember that we are commanded to come to Jesus . . . just as we are . . . at all times, on all occasions . . . both filthy and guilty!

The Bible provides a great example of the downside of neglecting to pray. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray and told His disciples, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” So what did they do? They went to sleep. And what happened to the beloved apostle Peter immediately after that? He tumbled face-first into temptation.

Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:10-11)

And as you may remember, having neglected His Lord’s instruction to pray, Peter had not finished his free fall into temptation.

He replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”  (Luke 22:33-34)

About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:59-62)

What is true of Peter is true of all of us. Our public fall always begins with our private fall when we neglect the disciplines of grace God has given to us. Charles Spurgeon warned that “A neglected [prayer] closet is the beginning of all spiritual decline.”

Our Lord set the model for a life of prayer. If we truly are His disciples, our lives should be marked by prayer. Remember, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Monday, June 9, 2014

The Lord Jesus Christ said the same power that raised Him from death to life is the same power that resides within every Christian.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8)

There’s a question we must ask ourselves: “Have we unplugged from the power source?” You see, this power has been promised to every Christian. We have this power within us. The challenge is whether we are appropriating it or not. What I mean by appropriate is have we taken possession of the power? Have we tapped into it? Have we plugged into it by engaging in the means of grace God has given us to strengthen us in our walk with Christ?

To be sure, the Holy Spirit often acts in a completely sovereign way in our lives, apart from any appropriating work (disciplined effort) on our part. Praise God for that truth! Yet the Bible makes is crystal clear that God expects us to plug into the power He has given us in order to live the life He is calling us to live.

Today we will look at one of those means of grace and throughout next week we’ll examine a few more.

Bible Intake

A steady diet of God’s Word will strengthen us to live godly lives in Christ Jesus. Here are two exhortations to immerse ourselves in Scripture; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament:

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)

We have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place . . . (2 Peter 1:19)

God wants us in His Word because He wants His Word in us! It is alive and active; it shines light into our world and into our souls (Hebrews 4:12). Every time we go to the Bible we are changed by it. You’ve probably had this experience: you have read the same passage of Scripture dozens of times before, but this time you read it and see something you never saw in the past. Why is that? Because you are not the same person you were the last time you read it! The Word is life-giving . . . imparting new life into the heart of the believing reader.

So . . . how are you doing in the area of Bible intake? Would you define your Bible reading as “plugged in”? Or “unplugged”? Remember, the book you don’t read won’t help.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Friday, June 6, 2014

Let me ask you a question: “As it relates to God’s providence—especially painful ones—do you grumble against it or humble yourself under it?”

Here is wise counsel from the apostle Peter:

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.(1 Peter 5:5-6)

By nature, you and I are far more likely to grumble under God’s mighty hand of providence than to humble ourselves. We resist, rather than receive, what God delivers to us as part of His perfect plan for our lives. We are very much like the children of Israel in their Exodus experience, who rumbled, bumbled, and stumbled through the wilderness, grumbling every step of the way!

But this is not for you!God gives grace to those who humble themselves, regardless of the circumstances God sends their way. In stormy seasons, humility is the mark of the surrendered Christian. If we believe that what is happening to us is the result of random chance, we will not be able to humble ourselves. We will believe we have every right to grumble against our God.

But when we understand the doctrine of the sovereignty of God and know beyond a shadow of any doubt that God is ultimately in control of all things (Romans 11:36)—in other words, that nothing happens to us that first doesn’t pass through His nail-scarred hands—we can surrender our will to His will and humble ourselves under His mighty hand.

There are many wonderful examples in sacred Scripture of giants of the faith who understood this truth and humbled themselves under God’s hand of providence. Joseph saw God’s hand working behind his wicked brothers, who hated him enough to throw him into a well, thinking to kill him, and then decided to sell him into slavery.

Years later, when God had raised Joseph up to be the prime minister of Egypt, his brothers came cowering before him, offering themselves to Joseph in slavery. Joseph could have spoken a word and had his brothers executed or sent to a hideous dungeon. Instead he spoke kindly to them, saying:

“Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:19-20)

Joseph understood that God was the decretive first cause behind the painful providence, which was delivered through his self-righteous and sinful brothers. He knew God had the power to stop them in their tracks if He so wished . . . but He did not. So instead of grumbling under God’s mighty hand, Joseph humbled himself. I’m sure he did not understand the “why” all along the way, but He knew God was in control of all of it and would ultimately work all things together for Joseph’s good and God’s glory. And that is exactly what happened!

Only a firm grasp of this truth will allow us to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, rather than grumble when things don’t go our way.

Humble or grumble? The choice is always ours.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

As a child of the Most High God, do you fully understand the scope of the story you have been engrafted into? Many people don’t. Let’s take a look.

• In the beginning everything was good.
• In the Garden of Eden everything went bad. Sin, Satan, and death took center stage.
• In that same Garden, God promised to send us a Redeemer.

For centuries, all creation longed for this promised Redeemer who would come and take everything bad and make it good. This Redeemer finally came in the person of Jesus Christ. During His brief stay on earth, He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, raised the dead to life, and preached the Gospel to everyone around Him. Then He did what only He could do: He went to the cross to take the place of sinners—sinners like you and me—and pay the penalty for all their sins in full. He lived the life that sinners can never live and died the death sinners should have died.

And if that isn’t amazing enough, it got even better on the third day, when a dead man got up and walked out of His grave. Christ’s resurrection is God’s stamp of approval on His sinless life and sacrificial death. Jesus has achieved victory over sin, Satan, and death itself. And before He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, He commissioned His disciples to take His Good News and preach it to every creature, both near and far. And this, beloved, is a glimpse of the scope of the greatest story ever told, a story that has been given to those who have trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

His calling gives our lives purpose, meaning, and significance. We have been given the great privilege to be His ambassadors in this world; we are called to share His Word and teach His truth.

So . . . is the life you are living right now reflective of your understanding the scope of His story? We have been given the words of eternal life to share with all those with whom we come in contact. We have been given the authority to speak these words into the lives of others. And we have been given the promise that God’s Word will not return to Him empty, but it will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it. (Isaiah 55:11).

The scope of His story is absolutely spectacular! As we preach the good news of our grave-conquering King who promises eternal life to all those who believe in Him by faith, we can be confident that He will accomplish His perfect purpose: to graft others into the scope of His glorious story of amazing grace.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Often initiated by uttering the phrase “Give me five” or “High five,” the high five is a hand gesture in which two participants raise their hands and slap open palms together as a sign of celebration and/or encouragement. At Cross Community Church, there is a lot of high-fiving going on with both the young and the old; we are excited about what God is doing!

Did you know there are “holy high fives” throughout the Scriptures? From “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1) to “Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20), our God offers eternal encouragement to His people. Here is one such word of comfort:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

Does anyone need a little encouragement today? God sends encouragement to His people in a variety of ways and forms—through people, places, things, and events. Sometimes we are encouraged by the presence of an old friend . . . by a familiar place . . . by a sound, song, or sight.

Encouragement is all around us if we will but look for it. And we can find no better place of eternal encouragement than in the Scriptures themselves. The Word of God is a treasure trove of total truth that brings with it good hope and great peace, which are realized through a growing knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are feeling weak today, go to His Word and He will give you strength. If you are feeling low today, go to His Word and He will lift you up (James 4:10). If you are feeling anxious today, go to His Word and He will give you the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). If you are feeling lonely today, go to His Word and He will pour His presence into you (John 14:18). If you are feeling sick today, go to His Word and He will be your healing balm of Gilead (Jeremiah 8:22). There is no end to the water of refreshment in the well of His Word!

Our God is an awesome God who offers a never-ending supply of supernatural encouragement for His people. Whatever ails you today, there is comfort to be found in His Word. Cast your care upon Christ today, weary traveler, because He cares for you and stands at the ready to give you a “holy high five” that will encourage your heart and strengthen you in every good deed.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22 ESV). So you see. . . you have His Word on it!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Friday, May 30, 2014

When is sitting actually standing tall? When we are sitting at the feet of Jesus! Mary understood this truth; Martha did not:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Notice that Jesus did not praise Mary merely for sitting down or sitting still. Mary was praised for sitting at the feet of Jesus . . . and that is the time when sitting is standing tall.

Both sisters were working to prepare their home to receive Jesus. The difference between Martha and Mary lay in the fact that Mary knew when it was time to stop working and sit at the feet of her Lord and Master. Do we?

I am painfully aware that there are many in the church today who neglect their duties; they are sitting when they should be standing and serving. But there are some who, like Martha, are always working, working, working, and never taking time to sit at the feet of Jesus. It’s important to note that Jesus was not praising Mary for neglecting devotion to her sister or any of her responsibilities in the home. Our Lord praised Mary for recognizing that there is a time to work and a time to sit . . . and only those who are in close communion with Him can discern the difference.

So . . . when was the last time you took the time to sit at the feet of Jesus? We can become so encumbered with all the work that has to be done. I know this truth personally as a pastor; I’ve written this blog as much for myself as for any of you. It is very easy to become so consumed by service to our Savior that we miss out in sitting as His feet . . . listening to His voice . . . experiencing His love and grace.

We must remember Jesus’s words to worker bee Martha: “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” I pray that our Lord may say this about you and me on a daily basis—that we have chosen what is better. And I pray that “what is better” will not be taken away from us by anything that would work to disrupt our intimacy, fellowship, and communion with Jesus.

Sitting is standing tall when we realize that only one thing is truly needed . . . and His name is Jesus!

If you should happen to be visiting this blog for the first time, it is my prayer that you understand that the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven by which you may be saved (Acts 4:12). There is no good work or service—nor even a lifetime of good works—that will make you acceptable in God’s sight. It is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, that we receive the gift of eternal life. That is not the “better” way; it is the only way!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

In the Lord’s Prayer we utter these words:

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”(Matthew 6:10 KJV)

Many of us have been reciting these words since we were children . . . but do we really know what we are praying for? Do we understand how dangerous and radical these words really are? Do we realize how the truth of these words actually lived out in our lives would turn our world upside down?

Why is this so? Because, as children of Adam and Eve, our sinful nature would infinitely prefer to build our own little kingdom, rather than build the Kingdom of God. And this self-centeredness does not cease when God grants us the faith to become children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7); even after we are saved by God’s grace, that old sin nature still fights to continue construction on its little kingdom of one (Galatians 5:17).

So . . . what kingdom have you been building lately? “Thy” kingdom? . . . or “my” kingdom?

You won’t know whose kingdom you are advancing simply by measuring it against the challenges, obstacles, persecutions, and storms you may be facing. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you’re doing God’s work! Everyone on this side of the grave faces trials for countless reasons. But when you face these difficulties for the glory of Jesus Christ, you can be sure you are working toward the expansion of His Kingdom and not yours.

Working for the expansion of God’s kingdom means death—death to self and our own desires. Instead of ordering our own lives, we take our orders from another . . . and His name is Jesus Christ. He tells us to go where we often would rather not go. He tells us to speak up when we would rather remain silent. He tells us to plug into the lives of others when we would rather remain unplugged. Yet it is only in this kind of death that we actually find life! Death to self leads to life in our Savior, and life in our Savior leads to expanding His Kingdom, not ours.

When we earnestly pray for God’s kingdom to come we are asking God to reorient our hearts away from the love of self to the love of God and others—all others! And it is only the grace of God that can accomplish the monumental task of removing self from the throne of life and putting Jesus there.

As a pastor, I often coach others through difficulties in life; people will ask me, “How do I overcome this?” I’ll often encourage them to unpack this portion of the Lord’s Prayer. This is the place where we begin to slay the sin in our hearts. Desiring God’s will above our own is the secret to slaying sin—all sin—as we surrender control of our lives to the One who nailed them all to a cross.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!        

Americans celebrate Memorial Day on the final Monday in May; it is a day set aside for remembering the men and women who died while serving in the Armed Forces. Originally called Decoration Day, the observance began in the late 1800s and was designated to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the War Between the States. After the First World War, the name was changed to Memorial Day and the observance extended to honor every American soldier who died while serving our nation in all military engagements.

One of the great privileges I have as senior pastor of Cross Community Church is to set aside time every year on the Sunday before Memorial Monday remember all those who have given up so much for our freedom. We can never fully comprehend the ultimate sacrifice they paid on our behalf, but we can certainly pause from our weekly worship routine to offer a simple and heartfelt “thank you.”

We also take the time to honor every American veteran who stood in the gap for us to hold aloft the banner of the freedom under which we gather weekly to worship our God. We believe it is both a delight and a duty to thank all those who have returned from defending our great nation. Almost every one of them has been wounded in some way by what they witnessed, walked in, and went through. Some of those veterans are now dealing with physical challenges; others are burdened with emotional challenges; and still others are struggling with mental challenges. All of them deserve to be part of a moment in which we pause and simply say, “THANK YOU!”

To be sure, we can never repay them for their sacrifice, and simply saying “Thank you” doesn’t seem like enough, but it is something we should all do—not only this day, but every day. Jesus said,

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.You are my friends if you do what I command.  (John 15:12-14)

Who better to speak of sacrifice than our Sacrificial Lamb? Jesus calls it a “greater love” when we are willing to lay down our lives for others. Every fallen American soldier has demonstrated this greater love for all of us. Let us give God praise and thanks for their willingness to lavish this greater love on us.

And yet, in Christ we see an even higher, more exalted love. We see the Good Shepherd’s humble willingness to lay His life down for His sheep. “He humbled himself,” Scripture tells us, “and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8). The very essence of self-sacrifice and sacrificial love is found in Christ alone. And there is something truly amazing to notice about the sacrifice of our Savior. Unlike those who sacrificed their lives for their “friends” (fellow man), Christ sacrificed Himself for His enemies!

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  (Romans 5:10)

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  (Colossians 1:21)

It’s one thing to lay down your life for a friend, but it’s another thing altogether to do if for your enemy . . . and that is exactly what we were when Jesus took our place and died on our cross. We were rebels running from our Savior, not toward Him. We were clinging to the throne of our lives, with no thought whatsoever of relinquishing the throne to Jesus.

Yet in spite of our unwavering enmity toward our Savior, He laid down His life for us. WOW! Truly this is a love that we simply cannot fully comprehend. A love so amazing that it would die for its enemies.

So on this Memorial Day, let us remember all those brave men and women of our armed forces who gave their all for our freedom. Let us honor their memory by doing all we can to support all those who are currently serving in our armed forces around the globe, as well as all of our returning veterans and their families.

And as we remember our veterans, let us also remember our Lord Jesus Christ and the unimaginable sacrifice He offered on our behalf. Remember that He took our beating, our mocking, our nails, our crown of thorns, our forsaking by the Father, and ultimately our death . . . all so that we who believe in Him by faith might have eternal life.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!