My son and I were discussing Memorial Day and how to many people, this day of remembrance of soldiers who died has become a Veterans Day-The Summer Edition.  I wondered if it’s because Americans do not like to ponder death as much as they worship youth.  Or we considered, is it that in a narcissistic culture in which it’s “All About Me,” many of us no longer have a connection with someone who died in a war?  The WWI and WWII generations are aging out of predominance.   Is it that wars are waged differently now–since the Vietnam War–and while there are still those who have tragically lost their lives, far more common are the wounded warriors who come home from today’s wars maimed and bearing emotional, psychological, and physical wounds?

Most earthly wars cannot reasonably be described as holy wars or ones with a clear religious motivation as the sole declaration of purpose.  Yes, religion plays a part on an individual and personal level for Americans, but it’s generally politics and not a holy war for American culture.

The true holy war is never one we see in a physical sense. 

The spiritual battle is fought against an invisible enemy and our weapons of war aren’t what the world uses in battle.

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul reminds us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  The he tells us about the weapons of the spiritual battle.  Over the next few days we will explore how the spiritual battle is waged and how the holiness of the holy war is preserved by standing firm in the face of evil.

Remembering is a good thing to do–particularly on days like Memorial Day.   It’s not just the beginning of summer and picnics, watermelon and barbecues.  Memorial Day is rooted in something far more profound!  Today is a day to remember those who served their brethren, laying down their lives so that we could live as free people.

John 15:13 reads, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  It was modeled by Christ and many of our soldiers have died on the battlefield following their Lord’s model of sacrifice, deeming true freedom important enough to demand the highest cost imaginable: that of a human life.

Let’s face it, freedom is resented by many in the world today because freedom is something given by the God of both Christians and Jews.  God loves freedom, but evil relishes tyranny and nibbles away at freedom wherever it can: at home, abroad, in our courts, in our schools, in our churches, in our government, and on the battlefield.  We must stand firm on the moral issue of freedom.  We stand firm in the war being waged in the spiritual realms, a war whose scope is far beyond what we see reflected on the battlefields of earth.

In the spiritual realm, evil whispers that sacrifice isn’t worth it, freedom isn’t important, liberty is overrated, and serving others is a thankless endeavor.  But God’s servants stand firm in the knowledge that Jesus died to give us freedom from sin’s punishment and therefore it’s worth protecting.  Liberty is the only antidote to bondage.  Serving others is godliness in action.

In Galatians 5:13, the Bible says, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Thank God today for those who died so that you could know the fullness of godly freedom and learn from their example to serve others in love.

I have been thinking lately about the power of words.  They are powerful to remind, to instruct, to encourage, to correct, and to comfort.  At times when we experience doubt, we can meditate on the words of Scripture and find His comfort to us.  This comfort is most needed when we are facing affliction of body, mind, and soul.  The spiritual balm of His words to us has great healing power.

This Precious Day contains 24 hours to be a blessing, to live a life well-lived, and to make the most of every moment.  I recently had cause to think on the brevity of life and how easily 24 hours can be squandered on poor uses of time.  Then I considered that these are 24 hours I will never get back.  I will never have a Groundhog Day movie plot for my life in which I can live the same day over and over, hoping to finally learn how to use time wisely.  Today I resolve to bring glory to God by how I spend This Precious Day.  How about you?

It’s hard to believe that the Lord will be our light some day and this will endure for all eternity. 

Yet, this is what the Bible tells us.

I guess it makes sense since He put the great lights in the sky at the beginning of time.  What difference should it make to us today to know that He is the Light of the World and will be our only light some day?

There’s a song sung by James Taylor called Handyman with lyrics that read:

Hey girls, gather round

Listen to what I’m putting down

Hey baby, I’m your handy man

I’m not the kind to use a pencil or rule

I’m handy with love and I’m no fool

I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can

If your broken heart should need repair

Then I’m the man to see

I whisper sweet things, you tell all your friends

They’ll come runnin’ to me

Here is the main thing that I want to say

I’m busy twenty-four hours a day

I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can

God doesn’t just fix broken hearts by whispering sweet things.  He heals broken hearts by binding up the wounds.  Broken hearts abound these days.  Isn’t it reassuring to know that our LORD is the Healer of  hearts such as these?  Jesus is better than a handyman.

Not was.  Not will be.  Not past only.  Not future only. 

Already.  Here.  Now.  He is exalted forever.  

What does it mean to you that God is already exalted, has been exalted all along, and will be beheld as exalted for all eternity?  How can you exalt Him in your heart today?

In John 14:1 we read, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

What do we do when confronted with things that worry us, concern us, or make us afraid?  Do we dwell upon the very things that bring fear, or do we take our troubles to the One who is greater than any trouble?  Do we automatically grab the quickest, smartest, most technologically advanced option or do we evaluate things with an undergirding of faith in God?

While I know that Angelina Jolie is receiving much public acclaim for raising awareness about alternatives for women who MAY get breast cancer someday and for her courage in pursuing a solution to it, it’s important to reassure the many women and men out there who have elected not to be pre-emptive in that way that their stories are every bit as valid.

She wrote her story.  I am a cancer survivor and I have written mine differently.  If you’ve written yours differently, too, here’s my little shout out to you.  Write your story of courage and faith in God with a personal flourish that flows uniquely from your hand.

Arguably, it is just as courageous–if not more so–to face a diagnosis with an unshakable trust in God.   In an age of increasingly successful treatment options for every conceivable illness, heroes of the operating room can be a dime a dozen.

The Courageous Heroes of Faith are of great worth in the eyes of God.

Do you thirst for Him?

God observes the plight of the most helpless among us and He will arise!  He will defend those who are least able to help themselves!  While we do not understand the mysterious workings of God and how He will accomplish this, we can be assured that He will set everything right in the end.