Honoring Veterans

Operation Iraqi Freedom 2005-06

The sacrifices made by our military are worthy of our honor but honoring veterans doesn’t always take extraordinary efforts. It can be as simple as respect, remember and repay.

David's mighty men honored their leader and future king with a daring raid behind enemy lines to collect water from a well. David returned the honor. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” (2 Samuel 23:16-17)

David poured out the water as an offering to God. He respected the risk taken by his mighty men. His act ensured that their valor would be remembered and payed the sacrifice forward.

Respect

My church gave me a small going-away party when I went to boot camp so many years ago. It was a sign of respect for this important right of passage. Today, when National Guard units deploy into war zones, they are honored both upon their departure and their return. Words cannot convey what I felt when, upon our re-entry to America, we were greeted by a line of senior veterans. They shook our hands and welcomed us home. Later, in the Atlanta airport, we were greeted by applause. I will never forget these simple acts of respect.

Remember

My church never forgot me while I was overseas. I received care packages and letters. My family was cared for. On the other hand, one woman told me that her church never once contacted her while she was deployed. She never forgave them.

Notes, care packages, church bulletins, and newsletters can be a comfort to a lonely service member, desperate for a reminder of home. Remember, also, the family left behind. A phone call to a lonely wife, an invitation to a meal, or an offer to take the kids for a while will mean a great deal. There is much that is missing from a family where one of the parents have been called to active service.

Repay

The cost of military service can be high. Some families have lost a member. Some soldiers have been severely wounded. All soldiers have had their lives disrupted. Education, careers and family are put on hold when duty calls.

After WWI discharged veterans got little more than a $60 allowance and a train ticket home, later, embittered, they marched on Washington to demand their due.

Following WWII the GI Bill transformed America by multiplying the number of educated Americans, populating our suburbs and creating new job opportunities. The GI Bill was one of the most successful piece of legislature in American history. Veteran’s benefits repay sacrifices that cannot be measured.

Let us respect, remember and repay our veterans and pray for the day when there will be no more war.

He will judge between many peoples 
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.

They will beat their swords into plowshares 
and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation, 
nor will they train for war anymore.

 

Micah 4:3

Called to Sacrifice

Guest blog Elizabeth Trujillo

Long ago, the Holy Spirit called us to attention and said, “I plead with you fellow members that you present yourselves as living sacrifices which is your spiritual service.” (Romans 12:12) What does that mean though, to sacrifice for the Lord? As Christians we are to put God first in our lives and he will bless us immensely. Following the Lord does include sacrificing for him. When we discuss sacrifice, the thought turns to monetary sacrifice. However, sacrifice can be of one’s time, talent, and treasures. I am one who understands sacrifice deeply. As a single mother, I have sacrificed for my daughter every day. I began to realize that I did not always sacrifice for Jesus.

This realization brought me to the verse: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor that by His poverty you might become rich” (II Corinthians 8:9). This “aha” moment brought me to my knees, knowing that my greatest fear is the inability to provide for my little family and that I needed to trust God with that fear. I handed it over to him and began to sacrifice my time and talent working in the nursery. I began to share my treasures according to his will. In this time of great giving the sacrifice in which we all make must be one that is worthy of that which our Savior made for us. Nothing could ever be written, spoken, or imagined to fully demonstrate how great the price Jesus paid for our redemption.

Sacrificing for Jesus should be something worthy of our Lord. With David we must say: “God forbid that I should offer to Him that which is not a sacrifice.” (Samuel 24:24) Only the complete surrender and sacrificial giving of self and substance will suffice. Once such sacrifice is made, the Lord will provide justly. Each of us must be prayerful about our sacrifices during this time of giving, growing, and gathering.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

My God is a Mountain Mover

Guest blog by Melissa Baxter

For the past few months, I’ve been involved in two very different, but very huge events in my life. My husband was diagnosed with a form of cancer that, had it been caught much earlier, would not have been life-changing. It wasn’t, and he has now lost most of one ear in addition to the hearing out of that ear. At the same time, I’ve been involved in the Stewardship Enrichment Campaign, Heartstrong for CHRIST, as the Alumni Committee chair.

Both of these have caused me to slow down and to review my life priorities. As I pondered the week 2 devotionals, I was hit in the face with the fact that I had not given God all the keys to my life. I shared with the ladies in my Bible study about that key, and how I had determined to hand that key over to God. It is both scary and exciting to give up that key, but I know that God will provide for all my needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus, just as he promised. As a testimony to this verse found in Philippians 4:19, on the same day as I had given up that key, God provided in abundance for our family through his loving and obedient servants.

My mother was raised at Baptist Temple but moved away. When circumstances brought her back to San Antonio, we moved in with our grandmother who lived in the shadow of the church.

The Clothing Ministry served our family the way our thrift shop serves so many today.

Baptist Temple's food pantry was there when we needed help with food. Today, we feed over two hundred families a month.

When mom needed help with school supplies, members of the church helped out. A tradition that continues today.

There are many other ways that I have been helped by the ministry and programs of Baptist Temple. Today, I am asking you to continue the work that those before us have started.

While we have not determined the amount of our sacrifice, I know that God will lay that amount on our hearts. When my husband is healed from his cancer, I will be able to return to the workforce and increase my sacrifice to this most worthy cause so that the ministries of Baptist Temple will continue into the next century.