Christian, keep fighting!

“They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword.  They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated – of whom the world was not worthy – wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And all these though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…”

-Hebrews 11:37-12:1

My wife and I recently visited Washington D.C. on our anniversary/summer vacation before she goes back to school to teach.  It was an incredible place to see!  The number of monuments was staggering, and the ambiance even more so.  What struck me even more than these things though were the military sites themselves. 

While in D.C., we had the privilege of viewing the Korean War, World War II, and Vietnam memorials, along with the most humbling and striking of them all, Arlington Cemetery.  If you are unfamiliar with Arlington, all military personnel who received the Medal of Honor, served at least 20 years, or who were killed in action have the honor of being buried there.  For acre upon acre, you see white headstones as they line and dot the landscape.  It truly was something to behold.

One experience in particular really struck me while we were visiting Arlington – and Admiral was being laid to rest on that day.  When an Admiral is buried in the cemetery, 4 Howitzer canons are fired as the Admiral’s “send off.”  It was powerful both physically and emotionally. 

All of this got me to thinking about the above passage from Hebrews.  We have “so great a cloud of witnesses” who have gone before us in the faith – those who paid the ultimate price while standing for the Lord.  All of those who have gone on before us in death “served” the Lord as His soldiers, many of which left this earth in the most gruesome of ways.  The number of faithful saints who have gone on before us is “great” and it is their faith, and ultimately the faithfulness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that should drive us forward in our pursuit of holiness as we follow the Lord.  They did it.  They lived it.  And Christ did the same, going even further as to fulfill the Law on our behalf, take God’s wrath reserved for us upon Himself, pay our sin debt on the cross, and defeat death for us through His resurrection from the grave three days later. 

With all of this in front of us, “therefore…..let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…” 

Christian, the call is to live for Christ, and it is more than worth it.  Many others have gone on and done it before us.  Christ did it.  We are called to do the same.  Keep fighting.  Keep pressing onward.  The finish line is closer than you think, and the reward is far greater than anything this world and its sin can ever offer you!