Mettle of Honor.

Most of us dream of doing something great, of achieving something significant enough that we will leave our mark on the world.  Listen to the words of one person who has accomplished this:

“I ran through the gun fire to see what was going on with Sarge….maybe we could hide behind the same rock and shoot together.  I did what I did because in the scheme of painting the picture of that ambush, that was just my brush stroke. I didn’t take the biggest brush stroke, and it wasn’t the most important brush stroke.”

These are the words of Staff Sargeant Salvatore Giunta, who was awarded the Medal of Honor last week on November 16, 2010.  Three years ago on October 25, 2007, then Corporal Giunta, saved his fatally wounded squad leader from being captured, while exposing himself to intense enemy gunfire. 

He was cited for “his unwavering courage, selflessness and decisive leadership under extreme enemy fire that led to defeat of an enemy ambush and the recovery of an injured fellow American soldier.”  Like most Medal of Honor recipients, Giunta expressed that he did not feel he had done anything out of the ordinary.

He joins an elite corps of individuals, who are distinguished in receiving the highest honor given by the government to a member of the armed forces. Since it was established 150 years ago, the Medal of Honor has been awarded only 3449 times. It is clearly a medal to honor the mettle (the quality of exceptional courage and fortitude) of a person.  Due to the extreme bravery it honors, most recipients receive the award posthumously.  In fact, SSgt Giunta is the first living recipient since the Vietnam War in 1973.

We admire such courage and commitment.  SSgt Giunta not only displayed his own honorable mettle under fire, he also honored his squad members by considering them worthy of sacrificing his own life. 

How would it change the way you see yourself to know that someone considered you worth enough to risk their life for you?  That they esteemed and valued you so much they were willing to face certain death to see you live?  Can you imagine being that important to anyone?

Well you are!  There is someone who knows every detail about you, and honored your worth by dying to give you life.  He took the guilt and wrongdoing of all of us, and freely accepted our punishment undergoing the most tortuous death ever devised by the human mind.  On the cross, Jesus Christ displayed the supreme mettle of honor in willingly sacrificing Himself for your freedom. 

And you are so important to Him that He did it joyfully!  Hebrews 12:2b states:  “because of the joy awaiting Him, Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

How can we honor this One who has honored us so much?  We can offer to Him what He most desires from us: our presence and intimacy.  Choosing to honor Him with our time and desire for His presence is the heart of worship.  Spend time today seeking God in worship and see how He will honor and lavish His love upon you!

Come and join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM to continue this discussion.  My wife, Sue Ahn’s sermon is “Honor, the Heart of Worship,” part 4 in our current series on “Wired for Worship.”