“God has placed within the heart of every man an overpowering desire for three things: a battle to fight, an adventure to live and a beauty to rescue.” (John Eldredge, “Wild at Heart”)
If you ask most men to name their three favorite movies, “BraveHeart” is sure to be one of them. The movie, based on the legendary life of 13th century Scot, William Wallace, follows his rise from obscure farmer to leader of a massive rebel army, powerful enough to drive the English out of Scotland. It contains heaping doses of all three desires mentioned by author Eldredge.
After English oppression leads to the death of his father and brother, and later, the death of his wife, Wallace becomes obsessed with one thing, Scotland’s freedom from England. His entire life becomes an adventure to this cause, and he never wavers in his dedication, even though he is eventually captured by the English and tortured to death.
Is there anything so valuable to you, that you would give your entire life, or even your death for it? We admire people whose lives are passionately focused on a cause they are willing to die for. Examples in history are numerous. The Freedom Riders who were civil rights activists in the early 60’s, endured mob violence, beatings, bus bombings and being jailed, as they traveled the segregated South to bring national attention to racial inequality. Eventually several of them were killed, as was, Martin Luther King Jr.
More recently, we remember 9-11 and the fall of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Intent on saving lives of others, 23 New York police officers and 343 firemen sacrificed their own lives in rescue attempts. Numerous examples of heroic deaths occur on the battlefields of war. Since World War II, 62% of the Congressional Medals of Honor have been awarded posthumously.
Is there a cause important enough that you would die for it? Maybe you would risk your life to save your child, spouse, other family members, or a close friend. You might risk your life to defend your country or freedoms you highly value. Any cause you would be willing to die for would have to be extremely valuable and important to you. It would have to be so worthy and precious, that you would not want to live without it.
Did you know that God has a cause He was willing to die for? Something so precious and valuable to Him that He was willing to sacrifice His own son? Something He is not willing to live without: YOU are the cause He found worth dying for!
Romans 5:7-8 states: “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good man someone may possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) He then demonstrated this greater love by dying on the cross for YOU! This Easter take time to ponder how much God values and treasures you. When you see yourself in the mirror, remember you are looking at the cause God found worth dying for!
Please come and join us the Sunday at either 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM for further discussion of how God values you. My sermon, “The Ultimate Sacrifice” is part 2 of our “The Power of Love” series.
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