ENLIGHTENED

Veteran’s Day is an American holiday that commemorates those brave men and women who have served and defended their nation in the Armed Forces. Currently there are 25 million vets in the United States. According to the most recent census taken in 2000, the United States’ population was 281,421,906. This means that only about 8.8% of our population experienced the patriotic dictums of duty, honor and country through the sacrificial and often thankless task of defending liberty.

A nation without veterans would be an impoverished state. They possess a patriotic fervor and misty-eyed love for the flag that transcends what many feel. Theirs is the rigid posture of respect when the national anthem plays. Theirs was the taking of oaths and the understanding that they might die on some forsaken soil; work for marginal pay and benefits; live overseas away from family and follow costly orders. Sacrifice has a way of making us appreciate what we take for granted and better understanding what we possess. I wish every spoiled, flag-burning, nation-degrading American given the right to protest was shipped overseas under the tutelage of a hardened drill sergeant. They might think twice before bashing. They might learn from the quiet dignity of those who can spell P-A-T-R-I-O-T-I-S-M.

Growing up with a father who was wounded fighting in Korea, whose valor was recognized by the awarding of a silver star, gave me an intense desire to serve. Thanks Dad! Now with twenty-three years of service here and abroad, working with many like-hearted patriots, I have a deeper understanding of what liberty means. .

Meditation

Philemon 6—I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

As much as I love my nation, there is a greater calling than defending national values. There is a greater citizenship than what any nation, no matter how powerful or wealthy can bestow. If we should learn from the example of vets how much more should we gain from those who take up their cross daily to serve in a war that is far greater in scope and magnitude—one that has raged for as long as mankind has known the gift of breath. To lose this war is to lose everything for eternity. To fail to follow the Creator-in-Chief, heaven’s leader, empowers his enemy, Satan, to the peril of billions.

I fear we have become silent about our faith when we should be bold in sharing Jesus. Could it be that we are more inclined to be content than convicted to be obedient? If we don’t feel the need to tell people about the saving grace of Jesus, then by our very inaction we accept their citizenship in hell. The cure to spiritual stagnancy is found in purposeful sharing. Paul exhorted Philemon in the passage above to actively share his faith. He knew by experience that when we stand up for what we believe in we are more fully enlightened in just how blessed we are in Christ. Do you really know every good thing you have in Jesus? Something to think about . . . in reveration.

Inspiration

Salvation means not only a pure heart, an enlightened mind, a spirit right with God, but that the whole man is comprehended in the manifestation of the marvelous power and grace of God, body, soul, and spirit are brought into fascinating captivity to the Lord Jesus Christ.—Oswald Chambers in Studies in the Sermon on the Mount