Increased Devotion to the Cause

Happy Memorial Day…
We can really celebrate this holiday by acting on President Abraham Lincoln’s admonition at the conclusion of his Gettysburg Address:

“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

I encourage you to take “increased devotion to that cause,” the cause of liberty.

…Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  — 2 Corinthians 3:17

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Memorial Day and Veterans Day: There is a Difference

(This is a repeat post from seven years ago, but it bears repeating. Have a meaningful holiday!)

Memorial Day, originally Decoration Day

Decoration Day was celebrated first in the north and south following the Civil War. Today, as well as back then, this day of remembrance was to memorialize our war dead. It wasn’t until following World War I that May 30 became a common observance of the day–later becoming a national observance in 1971 by an act of Congress set for the last Thursday of May. Memorial Day has historically been a day of remembrance for those who gave their lives in defense of our country. A little known fact remembered from an Act of Congress in 2000 is the National Moment of Remembrance–a minute of silence at 3:00 pm local time to collectively remember  those who died in the service of their country–to help put the “memorial” back in Memorial Day.

Veterans Day, originally Armistice Day

Veterans Day honors all American veterans, both living and dead, for their honorable and loyal service to America. It is celebrated on November 11 of each year. There was an unpopular 10-year period (1968-78) when it was moved to the fourth Monday of October, but was changed back to the original historic day. Armistice Day commemorated the end of World War I–“the war to end all wars”–on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour of the morning when the armistice was signed. Of course, World War II shattered all hopes of the end of world-wide war.

 

The Christian world awaits the end of all war, but not through any act of man or nation or united nations, but through the return of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Scripture admonishes us and gives us hope:

Psalm 46:9 – He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

Isaiah 2:4 – And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

Micah 4:3 – And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.

Revelation 21:4 – And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

Memorial Day and Veterans Day: There is a Difference

Memorial Day, originally Decoration Day

Decoration Day was celebrated first in the north and south following the Civil War. Today, as well as back then, this day of remembrance was to memorialize our war dead. It wasn’t until following World War I that May 30 became a common observance of the day–later becoming a national observance in 1971 by an act of Congress set for the last Thursday of May. Memorial Day has historically been a day of remembrance for those who gave their lives in defense of our country. A little known fact remembered from an Act of Congress in 2000 is the National Moment of Remembrance–a minute of silence at 3:00 pm local time to collectively remember  those who died in the service of their country–to help put the “memorial” back in Memorial Day.

Veterans Day, originally Armistice Day

Veterans Day honors all American veterans, both living and dead, for their honorable and loyal service to America. It is celebrated on November 11 of each year. There was an unpopular 10-year period (1968-78) when it was moved to the fourth Monday of October, but was changed back to the original historic day. Armistice Day commemorated the end of World War I–“the war to end all wars”–on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour of the morning when the armistice was signed. Of course, World War II shattered all hopes of the end of world-wide war.

 

The Christian world awaits the end of all war, but not through any act of man or nation or united nations, but through the return of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Scripture admonishes us and gives us hope:

Psalm 46:9 – He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

Isaiah 2:4 – And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

Micah 4:3 – And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.

Revelation 21:4 – And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

Memorial Day

This will be a special summer for our family as we make a first-time “pilgrimage” back east to the Philadelphia and Boston area. Lord willing, we will stand where Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address, where the “shot heard round the world” was fired (Lexington to Concord), where they battled the elements at Valley Forge, and where over Fort McHenry the “bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.” We will also visit the sites of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Boston Massacre, and those famous places where our revolutionary fathers not only pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, but where many gave their last full measure of devotion. In years past, I have been moved at Arlington and Jefferson Barracks. A dream of a future trip is to walk the beaches of Normandy. Last night and today, I watched movies depicting Gen. Douglas MacArthur and other brave soldiers as well as brave Filipino partisans defending their homeland. I marveled at their focused devotion and the difficult and mortal sacrifices that were made. These as well as other places are what Memorial (“Decoration”) Day is all about. I can walk and talk freely today because of those who have defended my liberty with their own lives. We must never forget.

Today, we need a new birth of freedom in our beloved land. I believe that God births liberty in our hearts with His amazing grace. This grace is seen in the face of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave His blameless life so that we might live in liberty. That liberty is enshrined in our American history: it is thoroughly documented from Columbus to our pilgrim fathers, from fledgling colonial communities to to the halls of state and federal government. Our form of government will not survive without acknowledging it. We are one nation under God, and it is in God we trust. We must rededicate our “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” Proverbs 3:5,6 admonishes us,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths

His direction and protection come as we acknowledge and trust Him. It is my prayer that God may continue to bless America.