Greater Love
The first Memorial Day was observed on May 30, 1868 to observe the fallen Soldiers of the American Civil War. Think about that, the American Civil War, US soldiers were fighting US soldiers. Here in 2025 we still are battling with people in the same country. Our battles look different and are over different things, but we are still battling.
We all know that peace and freedom often comes through sacrifice. The freedom we enjoy as citizens has been paid for with the lives of others.
We usually don’t think about Jesus’ first military unit…The Apostles. After Jesus sent them out, they were walking into a world that needed to hear and know about Christ’s sacrifice for peace and freedom. Similarly, the peace we have with God came through the blood of Jesus. “For He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Let this Memorial Day be a time to reflect on how God brings peace, not through ease, but through His costly love.
As we think back on this past Memorial Day, I have a question to ask you all: Do You Have Any Battle Casualties? What I mean by this question is, have you been picked apart for your acceptance of Jesus’ salvation? I know I have been. I will circle back around to this question later on.
I want to look at a different kind of military, The Lord’s Army. If you are a Christian, you ARE a part of this army, and being in His Army, we need to put on The Whole Armor of God, as we read in Ephesians:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
In Ephesians 6:12, The Scripture shows us we are not fighting a physical war, but a spiritual war. As we look at the world we live in, there is chaos everywhere!
In light of that, let’s break down the Whole Armor of God:
Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” This verse is often quoted on Memorial Day, and for good reason. It captures the heart of both the soldier’s calling and Christ’s redemptive act. When we remember those who gave their lives in service, we see a reflection of the selfless love Christ demonstrated on the cross.
Why on earth would a man put His Life on the line for me, you, for all of mankind? One word…LOVE. Jesus loves us so much that he overcame this world by being obedient to God, His Father. God, in a human body, (Jesus) left heaven to show mankind that while sin came into one man (Adam), salvation and the path to heaven is in one man, and that Man is Jesus, the only way to God and heaven (John 14:6). While there is the Father (God) and The Son (Jesus), there is also the third part of The Trinity, and that is The Holy Spirit. Jesus told his boys in the upper room that He would be sending a Comforter to help & guide. The Holy Spirit is alive right now, nudging all non-Jesus believers to accept Jesus TODAY. Jesus is our Light in this dark world & The Holy Spirit is His Light for our path as we walk in this dark world.
God also tells us, in Joshua 1:9, to be strong. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Think about it, He commands us…He is not giving us a suggestion!
In the New Testament, 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul tells his young protégé, Timothy, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
That wedge of fear is from that punk the devil, don’t let him in.
Romans 5:3-5 – "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… a time of war, and a time of peace.”
In Revelation 21:4, The Apostle John, while on the deserted island of Patmos, wrote – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In summary:
Let us not simply admire His acts of love, but let His examples inspire us to embody that same selflessness, compassion, and willingness to sacrifice in our own lives. His sacrifice should motivate us to live lives of gratitude, service, and love, carrying His love forward with honor and reverence. Let’s create a culture of appreciation and recognition for His sacrifice.
Finally, circling back to the opening question, Do You Have Any Battle Casualties? If you have died to this world, then yes, you do have battle casualties, but we already have WON the war with Jesus’ victory on The Cross, and with that empty tomb, we know that He is sitting at the right Hand of the Father in heaven. As Steven was martyred, he was looking up and saw Jesus waiting to bring him into heaven. I personally cannot wait for that day when I am in heaven with my Friend and Savior Jesus.
We all know that peace and freedom often comes through sacrifice. The freedom we enjoy as citizens has been paid for with the lives of others.
We usually don’t think about Jesus’ first military unit…The Apostles. After Jesus sent them out, they were walking into a world that needed to hear and know about Christ’s sacrifice for peace and freedom. Similarly, the peace we have with God came through the blood of Jesus. “For He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Let this Memorial Day be a time to reflect on how God brings peace, not through ease, but through His costly love.
As we think back on this past Memorial Day, I have a question to ask you all: Do You Have Any Battle Casualties? What I mean by this question is, have you been picked apart for your acceptance of Jesus’ salvation? I know I have been. I will circle back around to this question later on.
I want to look at a different kind of military, The Lord’s Army. If you are a Christian, you ARE a part of this army, and being in His Army, we need to put on The Whole Armor of God, as we read in Ephesians:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
In Ephesians 6:12, The Scripture shows us we are not fighting a physical war, but a spiritual war. As we look at the world we live in, there is chaos everywhere!
In light of that, let’s break down the Whole Armor of God:
- Gird Your Waist with the Truth – Let us be meditating on God’s Truth daily
- Breastplate of Righteousness – Having God’s Truth in you, you will have righteousness IN you
- Shod Your Feet with the Preparation of the Gospel – Spread The Word, and what is the Word?? JESUS!!
- Shield of Faith – If we have faith in God, those fiery arrows from the evil one will just bounce off.
- Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of The Spirit – Having God’s word in your head will give power in your cranium to fight off the world’s mental battles.
- Praying Always – Pray with and over people. Tell people that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God.
- And finally, Speaking Boldly about the Mystery of The Gospel of Jesus, which leads us to The Ultimate Memorial Day in history.
Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” This verse is often quoted on Memorial Day, and for good reason. It captures the heart of both the soldier’s calling and Christ’s redemptive act. When we remember those who gave their lives in service, we see a reflection of the selfless love Christ demonstrated on the cross.
Why on earth would a man put His Life on the line for me, you, for all of mankind? One word…LOVE. Jesus loves us so much that he overcame this world by being obedient to God, His Father. God, in a human body, (Jesus) left heaven to show mankind that while sin came into one man (Adam), salvation and the path to heaven is in one man, and that Man is Jesus, the only way to God and heaven (John 14:6). While there is the Father (God) and The Son (Jesus), there is also the third part of The Trinity, and that is The Holy Spirit. Jesus told his boys in the upper room that He would be sending a Comforter to help & guide. The Holy Spirit is alive right now, nudging all non-Jesus believers to accept Jesus TODAY. Jesus is our Light in this dark world & The Holy Spirit is His Light for our path as we walk in this dark world.
God also tells us, in Joshua 1:9, to be strong. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Think about it, He commands us…He is not giving us a suggestion!
In the New Testament, 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul tells his young protégé, Timothy, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
That wedge of fear is from that punk the devil, don’t let him in.
Romans 5:3-5 – "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed."
- We should NOT be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ!!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… a time of war, and a time of peace.”
- We will have a season of war and of peace and sometimes at the SAME time.
In Revelation 21:4, The Apostle John, while on the deserted island of Patmos, wrote – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
- This is SO comforting, heaven will NOT be another Albuquerque!!
Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Jesus’ love will NEVER leave you.
In summary:
- We must acknowledge the immense cost of sacrifice and recognize the pain and grief experienced by families who have lost their loved ones in service to this country.
- We can offer a prayer of gratitude, expressing our deep appreciation for the sacrificial love displayed by those we remember on Memorial Day.
- The greatest love of all was exemplified by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
- We are called to respond as we reflect on the greatest love demonstrated by Jesus.
Let us not simply admire His acts of love, but let His examples inspire us to embody that same selflessness, compassion, and willingness to sacrifice in our own lives. His sacrifice should motivate us to live lives of gratitude, service, and love, carrying His love forward with honor and reverence. Let’s create a culture of appreciation and recognition for His sacrifice.
Finally, circling back to the opening question, Do You Have Any Battle Casualties? If you have died to this world, then yes, you do have battle casualties, but we already have WON the war with Jesus’ victory on The Cross, and with that empty tomb, we know that He is sitting at the right Hand of the Father in heaven. As Steven was martyred, he was looking up and saw Jesus waiting to bring him into heaven. I personally cannot wait for that day when I am in heaven with my Friend and Savior Jesus.
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