This weekend I visited the largest memorial in the world. What a fitting place to spend Memorial Day weekend as I reflected on those who have paid the ultimate price to secure our freedom. We here at Creation Today and the Creation Network want all of our men, women, and families who serve this great nation to know how thankful we are for all your sacrifice. The phrase “Freedom Is Not Free” rings so true. 

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It is hard to get people to think about death. We know it is going to happen, but we shutter at the thought of it. We don’t want to attend funerals (especially our own) and we cringe when we hear of someone losing their life in a tragic way. Just try to have a conversation with someone about the fact that their life will end and you will see how uncomfortable they become. This weekend, however, death is front and center. We have set aside this day to remember those who have fallen on the battlefield and paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Karl Johnson said:

“Death is a daily reality, but we anesthetize ourselves to its pain. Often it’s not till we’re shocked out of our complacency that we see it for what it is: horrible, terrible, permanent. A tragic shooting, a terrorist bombing, or even the death of a beloved celebrity; each has a way of temporarily penetrating the veneer of comfort behind which we hide, reminding us that death lurks around the corner for each of us and awaits those we love.”

This weekend, for the 5th year in a row, I visited the largest memorial in the world. This memorial scar can be seen from space as it stretches across the planet roughly 280 miles. Standing there at the edge of the Grand Canyon you get a real sense of grandeur. In the moment you walk the pathway up to the edge of the canyon, you are transfixed with the vastness of the chasm and all of a sudden you become aware of how insignificant you are on this planet.

This memorial is not a reminder of our fallen soldiers, but instead it is a reminder of our fall into sin. The fall that caused God to judge the entire world because of his hatred for sin. As you stare down into the vastness that remains a monument to the flood that destroyed the world and all mankind, we are reminded that God can turn even the most horrific scar into the most beautiful monument that glorifies His majesty and splendor.  

Just as God is able to take the judgment of the world and turn it into something amazing, so too can God take the judgment of sin in your life and turn it into something beautiful. The beauty of the Gospel is that the Creator became the Savior. The one who created matter, took on matter and then shed His perfect blood to be a covering for sin. When you and I put on the Lord Jesus Christ, we become a beautiful memorial both now and forever.

This idea of setting aside a time or a place as a memorial was actually instituted by God Himself through Moses. The first time we hear of a memorial is when God said to Moses, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations” (Exodus 3:15).

Consistently throughout the Bible, we see God command people to set up a Memorial to remind them what had happened. Let us not forget that Death is real and Judgement is sure. Jonathan Edwards once said,

“Death serves all alike; as he deals with the poor, so he deals with the rich: is not awed at the appearance of a proud palace, a numerous attendance, or a majestic countenance; pulls a king out of his throne, and summons him before the judgment seat of God, with as few compliments and as little ceremony as he takes the poor man out of his cottage. Death is as rude with emperors as with beggars, and handles one with as much gentleness as the other.”

Death is the one statistic you will never beat. Please be sure you know where you will go when your time comes. To learn more about this, please look at our article how to be saved.

If you are interested in visiting the largest memorial in the world, we would love to show it to you from a Biblical perspective. Just give us a call at 877-479-3466 or send us an email to [email protected] if you are interested.

Thank you again for those who serve our country. My prayers are with those whose family or friends have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Truly Freedom Is Not Free.

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Thanks for reading,
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