"They Died"

They stormed those distant beaches,

Fought in mountains and on sea,

They wrote home to their mothers,

And longed for life to be.

They served faithfully their country,

They went where she said go,

Knowing they might not return,

To the nation they loved so.

They dreamed of peaceful evenings,

While they shivered in the cold,

They prayed for all their brothers,

Hoped together to grow old.

But for them it was soon over,

They never made it back,

They gave their all for freedom,

In Europe, Nam, Iraq.

And oh so many places,

Korea, Afghanistan,

Places we won’t likely see,

Or have to take a stand.

So today we honor them,

The least that we can do,

From your thankful countrymen,

We say God speed to you.

“For this is how much God love the world: He gave His one and only Son…” (John 3:16)

It’s a famous verse but no less powerful because it is familiar. We admire people who give. We are thankful for those who gave their lives for our country, as this poem describes. But the greatest gift of all is God’s gift of His Son. Jesus was given so that we might have all that God intended. Just as the soldier gives His life for the cause of freedom, so Jesus gave His life on the cross so that we might receive both abundant and eternal life. But His gift is meaningless unless it is intentionally received. Receive what Jesus sacrificed to give you.

Lord, help us believe and receive, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.