Veterans' Day

Veterans' Day

It is on this day that we remember, as a nation, our veterans who have honorably served this country. I thank each and every one for their service to our country, the price they have paid, and the scars they bear daily, both external and internal. I thank and each of you, not just on this day, but for each day I live in a free nation that you have helped keep safe; I recognize that, as a result of your service, many of you live and remember daily their time spent in service to this country. The memories don't go away; many of you have seen combat; you've seen the enemy eye to eye, or scope to scope, or put your training up against his/her; I recognize that those sights, sounds, and smells don't go away. If you came in contact with the enemy, those brushes with death, the fear and the adrenaline, the blood, the possible tears from rage or from the adrenaline of coming so close to death; the flood of all kinds of emotion; the acting on instinct and allowing your training to take over in times of intense stress; that battlefield experience and, perhaps, the loss of life among your brothers in arms or seeing so much death upon your enemy...those things also don't go away. Our veterans live their time in service every day - though they may be far removed from the sights, smells, experiences, and arena of battle - and they certainly never forget. So, while our nation - sometimes emptily and casually - pays homage one day out of the year to remember our veterans, our veterans always remember. They bear their burden of service, daily, and they don't generally seek out praise for it. Let's not forget them, the price they paid - and still pay - by serving our country honorably and doing their duty in that capacity. So many suffer for just doing what was their duty. On behalf of my household, thank each of you, in whatever capacity you have served our nation.

It has been with these thoughts this morning that my mind was brought to our duty as soldiers of Christ (Eph.6:10-17; 2Tim.2:3-4). We follow our training, we put into practice daily what we've been taught, we daily face our enemy, our service is endless, we daily live the life as a soldier and we do our duty - which is our honor to serve - as we face the enemy on the battlefield of life; we bear the scars spiritually, and perhaps physically, inflicted upon us from our enemy, satan, and his relentless attacks. We have been beaten, bruised, bloodied by our adversary the devil, yet like so many brave soldiers we know, we get back up and we charge, we fight back, we don't let our enemy win. We stand with our Commander, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our brethren, our fellow soldiers (1Pet.5:8-9), and we fight to the death each time we engage satan. Our fight is spiritual (Eph.6:11-12), and we bear the scars of our battle daily; and our help comes from God above. With God, we can and will win every battle, we'll  overwhelmingly defeat satan, we'll make this fierce enemy cower and he will run (Jms.4:7).

As we prepare to fight satan, this day and every day, may we keep our armor on (Eph.6:10-17), may we train faithfully (2Tim.2:15), and may we trust God (Ps.27). In closing, as we remember those physical soldiers of our nation and apply those lessons to ourselves as spiritual soldiers now, may we take note of what confidence we can have when we walk with the Lord:

"The Lord  is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord  is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will  be confident... I  would  have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord ; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" -Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14 NKJV