“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”–Hebrews 11:39–40
On November 19, 1863, four months after the decisive Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln traveled to Pennsylvania to take part in the ceremony. He dedicated a cemetery there for those who had fallen in battle. In his famed Gettysburg Address, Lincoln said, “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”
Today on Veteran’s Day we honor sacrifices made for the cause of freedom, and it is right that we do so. But we must never forget that as Christians we have an even more wonderful heritage of faith. Through the centuries men and women have stood for what was right regardless of the consequences. Many even gave their lives for their faith rather than deny the Lord. This is our inheritance as Christians. As we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we are also following the footsteps of those who now are in Heaven as part of the great cloud of witnesses.
Lincoln went on to say, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.” In the same way, you and I must take up the cross and complete our journey of faith until we see Jesus.–Paul Chappell
