A Memorial Day Devotional – “No Greater Love (2)”

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in America for remembering and giving honor to the people who died while serving in our country’s armed forces. And so, Memorial Day isn’t the official start of summer, nor is it about a weekend where we get three days off. It is about remembering those who died for our freedom and the victories they won.

For Christians, it should also prompt us to remember that the victory for our eternal lives has been won at the cross of Calvary, that is when Jesus bought our freedom with His life, which is a freedom that can ever be taken away, which is the freedom over sin and death.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:1-3 said, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.” (Romans 8:1-3)

There was truly no greater love than this, as Jesus took our place and died the death we deserve so that we can be set free from the power of sin and death over our lives and be given His righteousness and eternal life in its place.

And it was all because He loved us.

God said He loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), and He has written His love indelibly upon His hands (Isaiah 49:16), which He showed on the day of His resurrection.

Today, therefore, let us remember those brave men and women who gave their lives so that we can be free, and let us always remember what Jesus did upon the cross as He died to set us free.