By Stuart Powell
Our country has depended on the devotion and dedication of her soldiers for generations. We need to give thanks to God for those who have fought and sacrificed to secure our freedoms.
Many warriors who have battled evil armies in our sinful world are now struggling. Over time, an untold number have attempted to hide the cost of their sacrifices as they battle issues of anger, self-loathing, and pain. Out of this despair, sadly, many young U.S veterans have sought to take their own lives.
Thankfully, there are Christian ministries reaching out to those struggling with the burdens of their time as soldiers. These believers begin the healing process with the message from God that all sinners need to hear. Paul described that message:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
We all are veterans of the spiritual war that will not end until Christ returns. Each person has lost something of ourselves in our own battlefield, and many have been driven to despair by the propaganda of our spiritual enemy. But Jesus died to redeem us. When we embrace Jesus’ sacrifice, God takes the mess of our lives and transforms us into a message of hope. We become the vehicles of God’s reconciliation through his invitation and following the pathway back to him. In God we find peace, hope, and love.
Eating and drinking the elements of Communion remind us Jesus paid for our transformation through his death. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, in fact, make our restoration not only possible but a reality. As you eat and drink, give thanks to God for his greater freedom of eternal love restored.
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
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