George Santayana is credited with the statement: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” While the comment has been reworded throughout the years, the concept is a settled truth. The Children of Israel served the Lord only to devolve into disobedience. They were often released into the hands of their oppressors which invoked repentance. The cycle of bondage and reconciliation was the result of them forgetting the goodness of God and their ensuing suffering from an absence of His law.
To forget what has been done is a self-inflicted wound of unspeakable proportions. Our nation, this United States of America, came about through blood and sacrifice. So many of our soldier’s bodies are still buried in foreign countries; many of which in unknown places. The first World War ravaged the landscape in so many ways, as America fought for the freedom of peoples far and wide.
The greatest sacrifice occurs when a life is given on behalf of another. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” – John 15:13. Memorial Day is a small token for us to remember and be thankful. We enter this weekend knowing that “Freedom is Never Free.” Neither our salvation, which was paid for by the body and blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary, nor the freedom we find in America is free.
Freedom of speech cost lives. Freedom to think, move, have and share opinions, oppose our government, worship the Lord, and so much more was paid for by people we never knew. This house of worship came about by the sacrifice of the saints; both in prayer and in giving. Everything comes with a price! Education is not free. Religion is not free. We must remember and we must be thankful.
My message is simplistic, but often dismissed: Honor and Respect are key to the viability of any people: Nation or Church. All I know is that the spirit of gratitude needs a resurrection and it seems incumbent upon us to example such virtues. So let it be known, New Life Fellowship, for every man and woman who sacrificed their life for our freedom to worship the Lord without constraint or fear. . .We are thankful!
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole
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