As we remember those who have given their lives for us, I can’t help but think of Jesus, the One Who gave Himself to pay the debt for my sin. He, Himself, said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

God initiated our salvation by sending His perfect Son to be the sacrifice for our sin. John 3:16

He left perfection to identify with us – lowly sinners. Hebrews 4:15

He loved us so much that He gave Himself while we were in our most vulnerable state, totally without hope and any way of our own to help ourselves. (Romans 5:8)

We may rationalize that we are not as bad as some of the people we see and hear about, but the Bible says we all sin. (Romans 3:23)

That makes us unfit for heaven, and has earned us a one-way ticket to hell. However – God’s gift to us is life everlasting with Him, for those who trust in Jesus Christ, His Son. (Romans 6:23)

Romans 10:9-10 says: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.” The fact that Jesus is Lord was proven when He rose from the tomb, after being dead for three days! He is not a dead Savior!

Confessing, in that day, that Jesus was the Son of God got many killed. In our day, we sometimes think following Him shouldn’t cost us anything. But Jesus Himself said, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life? Matthew 16:24-26

He led the way by taking up His cross and giving His life for mine, and for anyone who will place their complete trust in Him. Will you?