On this Memorial Day let’s remember those lost in service to our country and let’s also remember those lost in service to God’s work.
Let’s also remember those who’s lives ended that had not decided to serve God. These are the people who put their music, movies, games, friends, family, careers and hobbies above God and service to Him. They are the ones who only gave God a side piece of their life or none at all and loved other things or people more than God.
They should be remembered as a constant reminder to you and I and everyone else that your life here does come to an end, sometimes at a ripe old age and sometimes unexpectedly and even young. The unexpected expiration of your time here should be prime reason to choose who you want to put your trust in for eternity.
You get to choose only in this single life if you want to live with and serve God for eternity. Not just any god, the only God, the God of Israel and the God of Jesus who is Yeshua HaMashiach.
I was once one of those people. I was a professed Christian who believed he was saved because I said some words and followed a script. There came a point in my life though in which I looked inward at my heart and questioned whether I was going to live with God when I died. I looked into scripture and found that the prerequisites of serving God were right in the words I’d spoken to accept Jesus.
I must Love God with all my heart, mind and soul and I must repent of my sins and turn from them. It sounds simple, but when I really asked myself truthfully if i’d done those things I couldn’t say I had.
I asked do I love God more than anything or anyone else? If I treated my wife the way I had treated God, would she or anyone else say I loved her more than anything else? I had to say honestly No… I hadn’t loved God more than anything or anyone else. The things I watched, listened to and did with my time were not things that glorified God and weren’t even things God would approve of according to His Word.
I then asked have I repented of my sins? Well I had at one point, but the meaning of repentance actually means ALOT more than just saying I’m sorry… repentance is a literal 180 degree turn from what you did and just like the story of Lot, not looking back! I continued to turn back to my sin and I’d often say oh God understands and he’ll forgive me, but I came to understand that I was abusing His grace.
If I had done that to my wife she would not feel as though I was repentful. If I wronged her and apologized then went the next week and wronged her again over and over I couldn’t honestly say I’d ever truly repented, because I wasn’t showing true repentance!
Don’t undermine the importance of this, you really are making a choice as to who you are going to serve in this life. Everyone is serving someone or something. Look at what you put most of your effort and time into, that’s often who/what you serve. Is it your spouse? Are they your god? Is it sports? Is that your god? Movies? Games? Food? Work? Content creation? Your home? Car? Music? Books? Writing? What takes all your time and effort? What do you put your fruits into? Multiple things? These things are all things that can be your god.
None of these things can save you from death though… and none of them can bring you back from it.
Jesus made us a promise though. He promised that if you follow Him and keep the commandments of His father God then you will be raised up from the dead at the last day and will serve with Him for eternity. This is the only choice that you can make that does not lead to eternal death.
So now I ask that we remember on this Memorial Day the sacrifice that Jesus our Messiah our Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach made when He came as a man and though He had the power of the entire universe He loved us enough to die as a man by the hands of man and break the curse of death so that we could through Him have a way to salvation from our sins and wicked ways. I choose to praise Him and to exalt Him and Honor Him with my life and I’d love to welcome all of you into His family so you can do the same! Praise Jesus! Praise Adonai! King of kings and Lord of lords!