The U.S. federal government recognizes today, Veteran's Day, as a holiday. The point of the holiday is to put time aside to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women that have defended the nation's freedom. When you get down to it, the individuals who have spent a portion or most of their life in service and sacrifice have impacted countless lives, paving a courageous pathway throughout history. They are to be honored.
Service and sacrifice is the highest calling of humanity . . . it is what Christ, God with us, demonstrated. At the end of the day, humanity could not grasp how to live with God in an active, participating relationship . . . so God came . . . and explained to the Jewish rulers:
"It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment. "Don't act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice. Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment.
(John 5:25-29, The Message)
The whole point to the service and sacrifice of Christ has been to bring life to humanity; however, every individual has a choice. While it might not always make sense, we are called to purposefully serve God with a willingness to sacrifice our needs, desires, expectations, dreams, time . . . laying our life down to do the work of God. It could be as simple as encouraging someone with an email or as complicated as changing your plans. Whatever it takes . . . Christ, God with us, has revealed what really matters . . . living a resurrected Life . . . laying down what matters to you . . . to purposefully serve and sacrifice for the sake of Christ.
Choose to live the resurrected Life:
Stop what you are doing.
Seek God and ask what your purpose is today.
Lay down what matters to you.
Purposefully serve and sacrifice.
You will change the course of history when you serve and sacrifice.
Learning with you to purposefully serve and sacrifice.
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
