Memorial Day – Every Day

Today millions of us in the United States celebrated with picnics, parades and get-togethers. I wonder how many stopped and recalled prayerfully the reason for Memorial Day: those who paid the ultimate price, dying for another – for you and me.

Perhaps the reason it’s easier to focus on food, folks and fun is that we have trouble accepting sacrifice, especially when it involves death that has no obvious reward for the one who died. In our humanness, especially in the United States, we spend much of our efforts attempting to gain, to get ahead. We pursue selfish endeavors. To stop and truly remember and give thanks for all who unselfishly died for us is...uncomfortable.

As followers of Christ, we are called to live each day as a Memorial Day. Jesus willingly died and shed His blood – the ultimate sacrifice for each of us.

What if each morning we woke up with this attitude? I will celebrate the memory of what Jesus did for me. I did not earn it, but I am called to live as a thankful child of the One True King.

We do this through prayer, but we also need to do it by the way we live: our actions, words, how we spend our money and time.

We can also do this by sharing our testimonies with those we meet – memorializing what God’s grace saved us from. Commit each week to share your story of how good God is with someone who needs to hear it.

Try ending each day with a thankful heart, remembering all He does for you by praying this Psalm.

Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered.

 – from Psalm 105:1-6 (The Message)  

Maybe God is tugging at your heart – challenging you to take another step of faith. Prayerfully consider joining an e3 Legacy expedition. You will have opportunities to share Jesus’ love and live out your thankful heart in a way that will not only will change your life, but will deepen your relationship with Him.

Sandy Corbin is co-leading an expedition to plant churches in Costa Rica this summer. The above devotional is adapted from a weekly prayer focus for the team that will join her in July 2013.