There is a lot of press lately covering the trial of 5 soldiers accused of murdering civilians in Afghanistan. This news sharply contrasts with the bit of scripture above. I know the story of one of these young men. He is my son. And he humbled himself to serve his country. As with most things in life, there is more to the story than appears on the surface.
I am profoundly grateful to God for this opportunity to serve Him in this manner. It takes my mind off some other things in life that are distracting. This verse in Philippians hit home today. Probably not for the reason some may think. But it is what I needed to see and this time and place in life. Thank You God. We are all thankful that Jesus was obedient to death. he died for all mankind. He was the sacrifice that reconciled all mankind to God. Forgiveness was offered to all. He died for you and I. That can cause some to feel a sense of guilt that drives them away or misdirects their beliefs. We should feel guilt, but not to the point where we lose sight of the marvelous gift we have been offered. We need to accept the guilt and move forward with our lives. Gratitude is to be embraced instead of hanging onto the guilt. Martin Luther had to confront his sense of guilt in order to move forward with accepting the beautiful gift in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We too need to do that.
The Apostle Paul puts this in perspective in Romans 5:6-9 "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!"
All too often we forget that soldiers offer up their lives so that others may live free from oppression. It is often a life of sacrifice. Not all handle it well. Just as you and I have good days and bad days, so do soldiers. When we seek to pass judgment on their service is serves us well to remember Christ. "He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Maybe there is a balance that escapes most people. But I rejoice in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And I am humbled by the sacrifice of my fellow brothers and sisters in arms.
PRAYER: Father, today we ask for Your love, Your peace, and Your comfort for all who serve their country. They sacrifice much so that we can enjoy the freedom to worship You O God and not a false god. You are a God of love and compassion. We ask for Your love to be poured out upon all who stand in harms way. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen
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