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Nothing Is Sacred Anymore

Did you ever wonder why this year there was controversy over Memorial day? Maybe you felt like people were lecturing as if you were in a history class. I don’t remember in the past, so many posts reminding people of the cost of war and the importance to remember. Yet, even with all the reminders, people watered down Memorial day weekend by calling out names of people who did not fight and die for this country. Yesterday, I asked God why this bothered me so much. I am not an adamant personality unless you are talking about God. In fact, I think differing opinions stimulate thoughts, or at least they used to. God answered me with the story of David in 1Chronicles 21. It is a somber story, and you should go read it for yourself. Basically, David called a census out of arrogance, as if the Israelites were his to number. As a result, God punished the nation by bringing a three-day pestilence that killed 70,000 men. David, in verse seventeen, questions why God is punishing the nation for his sin. I am going to stop for a minute here. Is that not what happens with most countries? The people pay for the sins of our leaders!

Moving on with the story, the angel of the Lord commanded David to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan. Out of loyalty and love for the king, Ornan offered everything for free for David to offer to God. In verse twenty-four, David answers, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, or offer burnt offering which costs me nothing." God nailed my issue concerning Memorial day with this story perfectly. Entitlement! America has become so privileged that we think everything is a given. Generations have not paid the cost of faith, freedom, work, or citizenship. When you don’t pay the price or value of things, everything becomes cheapened, hollow, or worthless. We are a society of cheap grace. Want to go to heaven; say these words, and the ticket is yours. But where is the disciplining, dying to the flesh, or investment in seeking God? The same goes for patriotism. When you teach generations of children to hate your country and disloyalty to your fellow citizens, are you surprised society holds no value in those that sacrificed their lives for other people’s freedom?

When 0.4 percent of the American population is active duty military personnel, or 7.3 percent of all living Americans have served in the military at some point in their life, you can see why the cost of their lives is cheap to others. It makes me curious what the numbers look like in our churches of active people in the service for our Lord?

Although my frustration reared its head concerning Memorial day weekend, I think the actual issue is how entitlement has infested every walk of our life, and nothing is sacred anymore. Not even our service to God. Let me give you a heads up, sisters and brothers. If you litter your social media with selfies of you serving God, it cost you nothing! “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be notice by them; otherwise you have no reward with your father who is in heaven, Matthew 6:1.” Citizenship to this country may not actually cost you anything, and you can remove every memorial in thought or actions. However, God will never let you cheapen the cost His son paid for every human’s eternal salvation. You can try with your cheap words or performances, but entitlement claims ring hollow when it comes to God.

Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash




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