Greatest Love

In John 13, we read how Jesus washed the feet of His disciples; this provides a powerful image to us
about the power of humility:
12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

On Veterans' Day, we can choose to remember those who have given of themselves for the sake of their country; who surrendered their lives for a cause and chose to serve.  Jesus chose to serve humanity by giving His life to reconcile us to Almighty God.  Now, in surrendering our lives to Him, we can experience His love and share it with the people with whom we interact.  We can discover the satisfaction of obedience to Him.

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Jesus demonstrated for each of us what true humility is.  He not only taught His disciples and essentially foreshadowed what He was about to experience, but He lived out His words. In John 15,
we read:
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

One of those verses is a key component in what I am about to share.

This is the day that has been set aside to commemorate Veteran's Day, which is the 11th day of November every year.  I thought about the tragedy in Thousand Oaks, California and about the gentleman, a young former Marine who opened fire inside a nightclub there.  It was said that he suffered from PTSD.

I went to the Facebook page of Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs, which ministers to those who are suffering from PTSD and teaches "spiritual resiliency" to those currently serving in the military.  There was this post:

We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragedy in #ThousandOaks. We are grieving and praying with you, and send our heartfelt condolences to all of the victims and their families. We want to recognize the bravery of our first responders, and honor the sacrifice of Sgt. Ron Helus who rushed into active gunfire to save lives. Your heroism will be remembered always.

The website, The Boot, offers these comments:

The police officer who died during the Wednesday night (Nov. 7) mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., is being hailed as a hero, by both law enforcement officials and country artists. On social media, Charlie Daniels and others are paying their respects to Sgt. Ron Helus.

"Another Blue Knight was lost last night. He died in the act of protecting and serving, as so many of his brothers and sisters have before him," Daniels writes on Twitter. "Sgt. Ron Helus, you died saving lives. There is no higher calling. Rest In Peace. Sincere condolences to the family and coworkers."

The article goes on to say:

Helus "was struck multiple times with gunfire," according to Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean. Helus' partner brought him to safety, but the 29-year police veteran later died at the hospital.

"He was hard-working, he was totally committed, he gave his all and, tonight, as I told his wife, he died a hero," says Dean (quote via CNN). "He gave his life to save other people."

And, it reports:

Helus leaves behind a wife and son; the Los Angeles Times reports that he called his wife before entering the bar. Helus was looking forward to retiring soon, Dean says.

I am reminded of the comments that Ephraim Mattos made on the program last week.  He is a former Navy SEAL and co-author of the book, City of Death.  He was part of a humanitarian team in Iraq in the Mosul region, serving with men who had this verse as a motto: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Ephraim also spoke out recently about a topic that he certainly believes is a threat to America.  WND.com reports:

...when CNN host Don Lemon declared last week that “the biggest terror threat in this country is white men,” Mattos had something to say.

After all he’s gone through, Mattos wrote in a statement spotlighted by BizPacReview, he’s “now returned home to the USA where a CNN host has labeled me as a radicalized right wing terrorist simply because of my gender and the color of my skin.”

The article also says that:

He warned that “identity politics does not lead to freedom.”

“It only leads to hatred and division and an ‘us vs. them’ mentality.”

I agree; we have to be on guard against attitudes that are contrary to the American ideals of freedom, and generalizing and mischaracterizing people because of the group to which they belong is certainly not what people like Ephraim laid down his life for.

On this day set aside to commemorate Veteran's Day, we can remember to give them the respect they deserve.  We think about those who have dedicated their lives to service, and never take it for granted.  Saturday Night Live demonstrated that over the weekend, when the vet, Dan Crenshaw, who wears an eye patch, who was mocked on a previous episode came on the show to receive an apology from cast member Pete Davidson.  Crenshaw, by the way, was just elected to Congress. It's a rare display of humility and good taste from the legendary NBC show.

Stories of sacrifice are all around us, and that's the kind of life God wants us to live - surrendered and sacrificial.  It's the life that was modeled by our Savior, who left heaven to come to earth, to live as a human and to die for humanity.  That is ultimate humility, and that is what He was talking about when He made this statement, the motto for Ephraim Mattos' band of brothers: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."