May 26, 2008
"These
are the names of the warriors whom David had ..." (2 Samuel 23:8).
Today
is Memorial Day in the United States, a day to remember those who sacrificed
their lives in the call of service to our nation. We honor those who honored us
with their lives, even unto death. And we honor those who sacrificed by
releasing them to their duty and are now grieving their loss. May their souls
rest in the arms of our Father through the blood of Jesus, who willing made the
greatest sacrifice of all for each one of us.
You
are a God of love and peace, but You are also a God of war when war is required
in response to the violence of sin in our fallen world.
"The
Lord goes forth like a soldier, like a warrior He stirs up His fury; He cries
out, He shouts aloud, He shows Himself mighty against His foes" (Isaiah
42:13). "In righteousness He judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11).
And
though we long for the day when all wars will cease and Your peace will reign
overall the earth, between now and then, "there
is a time for war" (Ecclesiastes 3:8).
So
there is a time for warriors. In
this day I also salute all of the Christians battling in spiritual warfare for
the cause of Christ. It is a time we can be in perfect peace in the middle of
battle. It is a time when the battle is in the house -hold as well as in the
streets, as we fight for our loved ones and those we hold dear at heart.
It
is a time when we honor those in uniform and those in spiritual armor, it is a
time when warriors have fallen, fighting battles for our sakes, we honor their
lives, we remember their names, and we thank them for their service to us all.
The victory is in Jesus for all those warriors we salute today!
Yes,
you are one of those warriors and “Thank You”, also for your hard fought
service, your diligence in prayer, for fighting the good fight of faith!
Darrel
Mason