We Should Be More Like Our Veterans  

This weekend our country honors its military veterans. Hopefully we do so without going so far as to glorify war, but rather with the hope that our armed forces serve as a deterrent to such conflicts and act more as keepers of the peace rather than warriors. We honor them without overlooking the horrors of war, the painful loss of lives, and the suffering that accompanies it. We gratefully acknowledge our veterans due to their assenting to serve in this manner, the sacrifices that were made, and their willingness to put their lives on the line if necessary.

Similar qualities should be found in us as followers of Christ. First of all, we should be seeking to serve. You may recall the famous quote from one of our former U.S. Presidents: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Such a spirit not only characterizes many of our veterans, but it should describe our attitude as believers. Too many people are pursuing God because of what they hope He will do for them. Don’t get me wrong. God has blessed many of us tremendously. He has done so much for all of us. As we approach a special time of thanksgiving, we are reminded to count our blessings and to express our gratefulness to the Lord for what He has done. However, as we move forward, we should be less focused on what we can get out of a relationship with God and more on what we can give back to Him. Our gratitude for what He has done for us should result in our willingness to serve Him. And one way we serve Him is through ministering to the needs of others. Watch out for that consumer spirit that is simply looking to receive something from God, whether physical healing, financial help, assistance in our latest struggle, or even spiritual blessings. God may want to bless us in those ways, but desiring those gracious gifts shouldn’t be our main focus. May our love for the Lord motivate us to seek to serve Him.

 We should also be willing to make sacrifices in our service to the Lord. Jesus declared, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Putting Jesus first in our lives requires that other areas of our lives take a backseat to Him. Self-denial is not a popular idea in today’s culture. We are told to do whatever makes you happy or what you think is best for you. It can be foreign to people to deny themselves some pleasure for the sake of someone else or for God. If a veteran can sacrifice a period of time in his life to receive training and become a good soldier, can’t we sacrifice some aspects of our lives in order to be better equipped to serve the One who loves us and gave His life for us?

That brings us to the other quality of military personnel that should inspire us. We ought to be willing to go so far in our self-denial that we would lay down our lives for Jesus if we needed to do so. We have been blessed in our nation so far not to have to face that choice as have Christians in other parts of the world. However, hostilities are growing. Just listen to how some people today talk so negatively about committed believers. Are we resolved to follow Jesus no matter what, even if our lives are on the line?

Be sure to honor the veterans you know this weekend. Thank them for their service. And as followers of Jesus, let’s seek to have a similar spirit.