SOMETHING WORTH THE RISK
“Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”- Acts 15:24–26
On November 19, 1863, almost by accident, President Abraham Lincoln gave what is probably the most famous speech in American history. He was not the main speaker when he gave what is remembered as the Gettysburg Address. But in his few words, Lincoln managed to capture both the purpose of the war and the American spirit. Recognizing the courage and spirit of those who had fought at Gettysburg, Lincoln said, “But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”
The debt that we owe to those who have risked and given their lives for home and country is huge, and those sacrifices are fully worthy of honor and remembrance. Those who are willing to take on a great and dangerous task do so because they have found a cause that is worthy of sacrifice. It is not by accident that the Bible often uses the metaphor of warfare for the Christian life. Just as soldiers defend our country for a great cause, Christians are called to fight and sacrifice for the truth. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3).(Daily in the Word)
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
