Memorial Day is a powerful day. To think that hundreds of thousands of men and women have been willing to die for you and me and our country is hard to comprehend. Would you die for someone else? Would you really be willing to give up your life so that others can keep enjoying theirs? So many men and women have gone away to fight and never returned. It brings tears to our eyes. To die for someone else is really the “ultimate sacrifice!” God agrees. The Bible tells us, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). On Memorial Day, we recognize the fact that there is no greater love or sacrifice than to lay down your life for someone else. That’s exactly what Jesus has done for you and me. Jesus laid down his life for us. Can there be any doubt that he loves us? Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice! What makes Jesus’ love that much more amazing is that we don’t deserve it one bit. Each year at Memorial Day, comments are made about how easy it is to spend the day grilling hot dogs and hanging out at the lake, without thinking one bit about our soldiers’ sacrifice. How many days and weeks go by without us spending a single moment appreciating Jesus’ love for us? How many sins in our lives do we still refuse to give up, even after Jesus died to take them away? Are we worth Jesus’ death on the cross? I don’t think so! But Jesus does. He thinks you’re that special. While we were still sinners, he laid down his life for us – willingly, innocently, and all alone, so that we can be free. Free from our sins and our guilt. Free from the slavery of trying to earn other people’s love. Free from the fear of death. Free to go out and love and serve and lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters, as Jesus did for us. This is what love is – making the ultimate sacrifice.
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