Honor the fallen heroes

Memorial Day weekend is a time when people welcome summer with cookouts and outdoor activities. Most people appreciate an extended weekend. What is sad, is that many have forgotten the significance of Memorial Day. Some want to thank those who are serving, others want to thank those who have served. Perhaps even some treat it like Independence Day? However, Memorial Day is set aside to specifically honor those who died serving our country. Those are the people who made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield.

Have you ever thought about what life would be like if no one were willing to fight or die for us? You would have to deny the existence of evil and believe the myth that humans are basically good and not spiritually flawed or fallen. My first dealing with Christian pacifists occurred in another country. I was teaching pastors in El Salvador on my second visit. During the training time, I was speaking about the book of Nehemiah. More specifically, I was in chapter 4 and I mentioned how the people were rebuilding the wall nearest their homes with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other. I made the point the Hebrews were willing to fight to defend their families. Even though I was teaching directly from the Bible, many of the pastors told me I was wrong. They were convinced Christians should never fight back under any circumstances.

Most of the time when I am on a mission trip, I must remind myself to not let my culture influence the way I handle Scripture. What I encountered was a people who had been through recent wars and gang violence. They could not stomach the idea of fighting with weapons of war. Later that day we were able to unite around the idea the Bible makes us uncomfortable at times, but God's word carries the ultimate authority. As I study Scripture, I am convinced we are always at war. There is an ongoing battle of good versus evil.

Christianity is a world religion with much diversity. While there are Christians who are pacifists, most hold to an idea of a "Just War." This is when it is a clear case of good versus evil. Looking at Romans 13:1-5, we see God has ordained societal structures, and the military and police do not, "bear the sword in vain." In a perfect society, only those who do evil would need to fear those who are in authority. However, wicked governments abuse their people. Without righteous nations to intervene, evil will spread unchecked.

I am currently preaching a sermon series from Ephesians 6:10-20 on spiritual warfare. The Bible encourages us to be equipped with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is God's word. When it comes to spiritual warfare, we are to stand our ground and not run from the fight. You will notice most of the Armor of God is for defensive purposes. Our only weapon is the word of God.

Those who fought and died to protect our freedoms are heroes. I am thankful for the men and women who were willing to sacrifice their lives for us. We need to pray for our representatives who deal with foreign policy to have wisdom. We want to avoid unnecessary wars, but we also do not want to be vulnerable to threats from our enemies. We must not surrender our freedom to foreign or domestic adversaries. Let us honor those who died, and not take their sacrifice for granted. We must fight to keep America the home of the free and the land of the brave.