Greater Love Has No Man ...

In one month we will be celebrating Memorial Day, which commemorates all the fighting men and women who have given their lives for our country so that we might enjoy freedom. Too often we take our freedom for granted. An examination of the fatalities in war helps us value our freedom more.

In the Revolutionary War 4,435 soldiers gave their lives for us. In the War of 1812 2,260 paid the price that we might live. Combining both the Union and Confederate forces, 558,052 died of all causes in the Civil War, the deadliest war in American history. In the Mexican War, 13,283 sacrificed their lives for us. In the Spanish-American War, 2,446 laid down their lives for fellow Americans . In World War I, the "War to end all Wars," 116,708 Americans died. But a generation later, the numbers skyrocketed. In World War II, 407,316 were killed. In the Korean War, 33,651 troops died. In the Viet Nam War, there were 58, 168 fatalities. In the Gulf War, 293 died defending our country. In Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), 377 Americans have lost their lives. As of April, 2007, 3299 Americans had lost their lives in Iraq.

As noble as these men and women are in their sacrifice, none of their efforts has brought about a lasting peace. Only one fatality has the capacity to do that – the death of Jesus on Golgotha 2000 years ago. When Jesus died, the value was sufficient to pay for all of the sins of all of the people of the world in all ages. His Resurrection provided victory over Death and Sin. If we put our trust in Jesus, we are guaranteed peace with God. We are also guaranteed a future in which there is no pain, sorrow or death.

Paul Harvey tells a story about Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare, the Navy's number-one ace in the Second World War and the first naval aviator ever to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is named for him. What "Butch" O'Hare became, however, was made possible because someone else paid a great price. That someone else was Butch's father, Edward J. O'Hare, a slick lawyer for the gangster Al Capone. "Artful Eddie," as he was known, had money and power, but one day he squealed on Capone. The reason for this sudden change of heart? He wanted to give his son a break, he said. Before long, the mob silenced Artful Eddie with two shotgun blasts.

But because of Eddie's courageous change of heart, his son Butch was accepted at Annapolis: Eddie's confession and subsequent death satisfied admissions people that the family's mob connections were severed. Artful Eddie paid with his own life for his son's chance to make good, something that Jesus Christ did for each of us on the Cross. (Steven D. Mathewson, Helena, Montana. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 1.)

Have you accepted Jesus’ offer of Life without cost?