Memorial Day Spirit
June 1st, 2010In the spirit of Memorial Day I did a few patriotic and semi-patriotic things this past weekend. I flew the American flag. I participated in a ceremony at the Union Soldiers Cemetery in Oklahoma City. I watched movies about WWII.
While watching “Patton,” I thought about one of the great differences between America and so many other nations of the world. History has shown that nations rise and conquer. They subdue the defeated and rule them. Not so with America!
As we marched through North Africa, then into Sicily, then into Italy, we did not fight to rule the citizens, we came to free them. We LIBERATED Europe and Asia in the Second World War. How thrilling it must have been for our service personnel to have driven away the enemy and restored freedom to a town. It must have been sobering to liberate concentration camps and see the absolute epitome of “man’s inhumanity to man.”
We hear about how arrogant America has been in our history. We hear apologies for our role in world history. Certainly we are not perfect, there is only One is. But for all of our shortcomings, we have been a servant to the world.
How many applications are there through our history! Since the USA was founded on biblical principles, it is evident that so much of who we are and what we do comes from the Book. The spiritual qualities of sacrifice and freedom fill its pages.
Think of God bringing deliverance to the Hebrews as they were enslaved in Egypt. Think of Jesus’ coming to lay down his life for his friends and his enemies (John 15:13-15; Romans 5:8). Think of the words of Christ ringing the sound of freedom from spiritual oppression for us (John 8:32). Think of the path of freedom that Jesus has laid out for us (John 14:6)
Freedom comes at a high price. It cost our American Founders their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.” Our spiritual freedom cost the life of the Son of God.
Keep The Light Burning!
Perry Greene
