Honoring those who lay down their lives for others

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

This past Sunday, I preached from Philippians 2 about how Paul held up not only Jesus and himself, but also Timothy and Epaphroditus to the Philippian church as models of humility and service. In his attempts to get the Philippian church to lay down their self-centeredness and be willing to humbly serve each other and look to the interests of the other, even at the risk of their own life, he points out these men as examples to follow.

Paul’s focus was obviously on the church, but I found it timely that I was delivering such a sermon on Memorial Day weekend. In Paul’s day, sharing his faith and planting churches meant risking imprisonment and death. In our day, sharing our faith may mean some social awkwardness or in some cases mild persecution, but surely nothing like what Paul experienced, unless you happen to live in a more hostile country than ours. In our day, those who are most often looked to as examples of service and laying down their own interests for the interests of others are people such as fire fighters, police officers, and especially soldiers, risking their lives and sacrificing time with their families in order to defend our country.

Whatever your political views might be, or whatever your views on the military might be, you would probably agree that those who serve our country in the armed forces are looked upon honorably by most Americans. There is an honor that comes with being willing to give up your own life and lay down your own interests for others. Certainly not everyone enters the military for that noble purpose, but sooner or later they realize that this honor is part of what it means to wear the uniform.

So, as Memorial Day passes, I want to first of all thank those who have served, those who have watched family members serve, and those who risk their lives for a greater good. Secondly, I want to remind you of the honor that accompanies sacrifice and service and the willingness to lay down one’s life for others. As Paul writes in Romans 5:6-10, Jesus died for us when we were his enemies. Few, if any, of even the bravest soldiers would lay down their life for their enemy. But Jesus died for us when we were hostile to God, opposed to Him.

There is a great honor that comes with laying down your life and interests for the good of another. It does not always have to be on the battle field or in a burning building. It may just be as you forgo your career in order to care for and disciple your children. It might be in serving in the church instead of using your time and talents for solely your own benefit. It might be in financially helping someone in need. Just as Jesus humbled himself all the way to death on a cross and was subsequently given the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:5-11), our humble service to others is accompanied by honor – sometimes by man, but always by God. So in honor of those who served our country, and more important in honor of the one who gave His life for us, go humbly serve those around you in the name of Jesus.