On Memorial Day, we pause to recollect the lads and ladies who laid down their lives for our freedom. We pause to honor the fallen and to reflect on the price of liberty. We pause, not due to sentimentality, but due to gratitude—and since God Himself calls His people to recollect.
We are a forgetful people. Throughout the Bible, that is why God tells His people to establish memorials, to tell the subsequent generation of His mighty acts. Memorials matter. Remembrance matters. And in times like these—once we are surrounded by cultural confusion, moral drift, and spiritual apathy—it’s a robust reminder to live sacrificially not just for our country but, much more importantly, for the Gospel of Christ.
Far too often, the Western church has bowed to the idol of comfort. We admire sacrifice from a distance but shrink from it in our own lives. But Jesus didn’t call us to a lifetime of ease—He called us to take up our cross and follow Him. This Memorial Day, as we remember those that gave their lives for our nation, may God stir His Church to true revival—a return to courageous, self-denying faith that lives not for this world, but for the glory of Christ and the advancement of His Kingdom.
Sacrifice: At the Heart of the Gospel
Sacrifice lies on the very core of the Gospel—yet it stands in stark opposition to the values of our culture. We live in a society that idolizes self-fulfillment and avoids discomfort in any respect costs. Tragically, this mindset has seeped into the Western Church. Perhaps that is why, in a recent study, only one percent of pastors said their churches were “very effective” at reaching unchurched people!
Too often, we would like to worship God on Sunday but live for ourselves the remaining of the week. We desire a convenient Christianity, a cross-less gospel, a faith that matches neatly into our comfortable lifestyles. But Jesus calls us to something far greater—radical, costly discipleship. And that is why I pray day by day for the American Church to get up before it’s too late.
From starting to finish, the Gospel is a story of sacrifice. Jesus Christ—God within the flesh—offered the ultimate, perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice to remove the sins of the world. Scripture proclaims:
-“Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
-“He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7-8).
-“But God demonstrates his own love for us on this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
-“Greater love has nobody than this, that somebody lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:3).
This is the Gospel. And that is the pattern of true Christian living.
Salvation Is Free—however it’s Not Cheap
Sadly, we live in a time of spiritual amnesia. We have forgotten the fee of our freedom, not only as Americans, but as Christians.
Jesus paid the total price for our salvation. He died our death. He bore our shame. He drank the cup of wrath to the dregs. And when He rose from the grave, He offered everlasting life to all who would consider in Him.
But hear me well: The One who gave His life for us now calls us to offer our lives for Him.
Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross day by day, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). He didn’t say “take up your dreams” or “take up your comfort.” He said, “Take up your cross”—an emblem of pain, give up, and death.
True sacrifice is rooted in love and obedience to God. It shouldn’t be about what we are able to gain but what we may give. In a culture that measures success by what we accumulate, Christ calls us to put all of it down. The Gospel challenges us to redefine our priorities and put money into everlasting treasures moderately than temporary pleasures.
I even have met believers who’ve lost every part for the sake of Christ—their families, their homes, their freedom. And yet, they count all of it joy. Why? Because they know what many within the West have forgotten: Following Jesus costs every part—but He is value all of it.
A Living Sacrifice
In Romans 12:1, Paul writes, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to supply your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—that is your true and proper worship.”
This is the calling of each believer—not simply to admire the cross, but to hold it; not merely to sing about Jesus on Sunday, but to follow Him day by day, regardless of the fee.
So let me ask you, as I often ask myself: Are you offering your life as a living sacrifice? Is your time on the altar? Your funds? Your profession? Your relationships? Your future?
The next generation won’t inherit the Gospel by osmosis. It won’t pass quietly to your neighbors without intentional effort. It have to be proclaimed boldly, lived out sacrificially, and shared openly.
Can you imagine if every Christian in your community was capable of say, just like the apostle Paul, “I even have been crucified with Christ and I not live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20)? Can you imagine if every believer was unashamed of the Gospel, able to share the rationale for his or her hope in Christ? Imagine the impact!
This shouldn’t be something we are able to do in our own strength. Only the Holy Spirit can empower us to live this manner—set apart, surrendered, and faithful. By His grace, we are able to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us (Ephesians 5:2).
Praying for Revival
In today, I find myself praying more earnestly—praying for my family, for the Church, and for this nation that I really like. And I do know I’m not alone. Many of you are feeling the identical burden, that very same longing to see the people of God return to Him.
If that’s the burden of your heart, I would like to ask you to wish together with us through AWAKE America. It’s a movement of hearts crying out for revival in our nation once more. And it begins, as all true revivals do, on our knees in prayer. To learn more or to affix us in prayer, just visit AWAKEAmerica.com.
May we be the generation who remembers the mercy of God. May we be the generation who lays down our lives for the sake of the Gospel. And may the Lord find us faithful—faithful to recollect, faithful to give up, and faithful to sacrifice.
Photo Credit: ©John Silliman/Unsplash
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