A MEMORIAL DAY REFLECTION…

I CORINTHIANS 1:30-32: “But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written: “L et the one who boasts, boast in the Lord .” NASB

OBSERVATION: Do I take my freedom for granted? As a Christian and an American, I find a convergence of thought on this Memorial Day as my daily time in God’s Word has led me to the opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

What does the cross have to do with Memorial Day? They both are points of remembrance of the freedom we experience. One is the freedom to live in a country where you have the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The other is the freedom we have over sin and death and the promise of eternal life.

Both of these freedoms are so often taken for granted. We forget that each of these freedoms was secured with the sacrifice and blood of someone who died in our place so that we could enter into the freedom in which we now stand.

People I have never met or known willfully laid down their lives so that I could live in freedom in the United States of America. Jesus, likewise laid down His life for me when I was positioned as an enemy of God and living a life of sin. Jesus died so that I could live free and forgiven from sin and experience His abundant and eternal life.

Naturally, our eternal salvation is the greatest of these two freedoms. Yet, we can forget the importance of both and the price that was paid on our behalf. We can begin to live as though we had something to do with the freedom in which we now stand. The price for both was paid long before I was even born. The freedom that I now stand in, both as a citizen and as a child of God, was purchased for me without any merit on my part.

Paul emphasizes this truth when he writes,

• I CORINTHIANS 1:30-32: “But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written: “L et the one who boasts, boast in the Lord .”

It is due to Him! God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. God sent His beloved Son to die in our place, for our sins, so that we could be in Christ Jesus. Loving parents sent their sons and daughters to fight for our freedom so that we could live without tyranny and oppression.

Years ago my father sang a beautiful song entitled The Statute of Liberty. He would sing this at our church on Memorial Day Sunday. The song begins with a patriotic remembrance of our freedom and what the Statue of Liberty represents. Then the music changes and focuses on the Christians Statute of Liberty. The lyrics are,

On lonely Golgotha stood a cross,With my Lord raised to the sky;And all who kneel there live forever,As all the saved can testify.

I’m so glad to be called a Christian,To be named with the ransomed and whole;As the statue liberates the citizen,So the cross liberates the soul.

Oh, the cross is my Statue of Liberty,It was there that my soul was set free;Unashamed I’ll proclaim that a rugged cross,Is my Statue of Liberty!

This Memorial Day I am thankful for the Statue of Liberty, the crosses lining Arlington Cemetery, and the Grand Old Flag that flies to proclaim that the sacrifice so many made has purchased the freedom I now live.

As a Christian, I am thankful for the Cross of Jesus Christ where Jesus paid the ultimate price for my sins. His death, resurrection, and grace have set me free from the bondage of sin and death. My soul has been set free and God has made Jesus Christ my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Thank You, Lord, for all the men and women who sacrificed so much so that I can celebrate my freedom today. Thank you Father for sending Your only begotten Son so that I can live in Your freedom today and for eternity.

God Bless all on this Memorial Day!

In Jesus Name!