Lone Survivor and the Value of Sacrifice

God calls us out of a life devoted to self into a life that is devoted to Him.   Here is a passage from Philippians chapter 2:
3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...

Then the mind of Christ was outlined by Paul in the subsequent verses.  He said that Jesus made Himself of no reputation, He took the form of a servant, and humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death.

We are called into a life of service, not a life of selfishness.   Jesus teaches us what it really means to lay down our lives - He completely surrendered His life for you and me, and He calls us to devote ourselves to loving and serving Him, and carrying out the work to which He has called us here on this earth.

In Mark 10, Jesus told His disciples, some of whom were caught up in who would be the greatest, about such Biblical virtues as service and even sacrifice:
(43) whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.44And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

It's one of the largest January openings ever at the movie box office - a film about an American military mission in Afghanistan called Lone Survivor.  And, I will say upfront that the movie is exceedingly violent and there is plenty of language, so it may not be a suitable film for you take in.   But, I did some research on the main character, Marcus Luttrell, and discovered a man who has some thoughts on sacrifice that we could take to heart, and could provide some conversation fodder if you happen to be talking about this movie that has made a significant impact.

Marcus Luttrell became known worldwide as the "Lone Survivor" of a deadly battle in the mountains of Afghanistan. The 2005 "Operation Redwing" ultimately led to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history.

Two years later, Luttrell told CBN News that he talked to God while in battle and prayed that he would survive so that the courage of his comrades would not be forgotten.   He wrote about his experience in the New York Times bestseller, Lone Survivor.

He said, "I made a promise to my guys, when I came to, and I crawled inside that mountain...I was just like, 'Hey, You get me out of here, and I'll tell everybody how brave these guys fought.' I said that, and I was like, 'I'll get out of here just to do that.' I was like, 'I ain't going to die out here. No way.'"

So, Luttrell is sharing his story on the screen and in person across the country as a result of his promise to God.   And in his follow up book, Service, he talked about the nature of sacrifice.  

In another CBN News interview. Luttrell said, "Service is your undying, unwavering devotion to God, your family, and your country...That's what service is to me. It's not about myself; it's about what I can do for them."

The retired Navy SEAL hopes his new book helps people better understand what sets those apart who are willing to lay down their lives for a noble cause.

He explained, "I've been willing to die for any of my teammates. That's the reason our training is the way it is -- it's as hard as it is...We have to go through that to make sure we're willing to give it all... to preserve our way of life. If we don't do that, then the terrorists are just going to keep coming in and doing what they do."

Luttrell believes the ultimate example of service is Jesus Christ.

"I think people who wouldn't even acknowledge that -- that would definitely scream through their head," he said.

People will be talking about Lone Survivor, and it gives us the opportunity to think more deeply about sacrifice and to gain a greater appreciation of the heart of our brave men and women in uniform.    Some of the virtues that Luttrell can help us to explore are:

What does it mean to sacrifice?  We recognize that Jesus was willing to lay down His life for us.   He placed the needs of humanity before any needs of His own.   As believers in Christ, we are called to demonstrate that attitude of sacrifice in service to other people.   Selfishness can impede the work of God, but as we are willing to lay down our own desires, we become more connected to the desires of Christ, as He works through us.   We are called to the service of others.

Also, we can think about the nature of perseverance.  If you go to Marcus' website, you'll see a slogan, "Never Quit. Never Forget".  He says,

“I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.”

This can provide some inspiration for us and we follow the instructions of the Scriptures and walk in the power of the Lord.   James reminds us that the trying of our faith produces patience, or perseverance.   The work of God is accomplished often over the long run, and while we may be tempted to give up in some of our pursuits, perhaps He is saying to us to keep pressing on and recognize that He wants to bring the work that He has begun to completion in our lives.

Lone Survivor - it's being hailed as a striking war tale, it's a docudrama that apparently portrays real-life events with accuracy, as well as reality - I can't say that I would recommend the violence and the language, but the story can resonate with people that may have seen the film and give you a chance to discuss some of these principles that are consistent with the life of service to which God calls us.