2 Timothy 2:3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

If you have served this country or are currently serving this country in the armed forces or are the wife, husband or child of a service man or woman, thank you for your service. Your service is a grand picture to us of our Lord Jesus, Who is also a warrior and who took the worst of the battle for us so that we could be saved. In the lives of those who serve or have served our country, we have this picture of Jesus in their willingness to go into battle, suffer hardship, and, in many cases, sacrifice themselves that we may have liberty. Let’s pause and recognize the sacrifices that our service men and women past and present have rendered that we may enjoy the blessing of liberty. Let’s recognize that when we take that liberty for granted, we disparage the sacrifice made by these brave men and women. Should we allow that liberty to be taken from us, as many outside this nation and some inside this nation would like to do, the valor and the sacrifice of those who have given so much is belittled and trivialized. Let’s commit ourselves to never take our liberty lightly, to never make assumptions about our liberty and to never take valor and sacrifice for granted. Those who do that scorn the sacrifice of these soldiers. Likewise, let’s remember that the liberty from the bondage of sin that we enjoy was purchased with the blood of Jesus, and should we take it for granted, we discredit our Lord, Who gave more than any other that we may have eternal life and perpetual liberty.