“Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” Romans 13:7 BSB
As I stood in the starting corral of Sunday’s Dogwood Canyon
trail run yesterday, I listened intently to the words of our national anthem being sung that would signify the start of the race, “whose broad stripes
and bright stars through the perilous fight…” and was overcome with
thankfulness for the sacrifice of the many veterans who have fought “the perilous
fight” so I could be free to do the things I love – things like worshiping the
Lord as I please and running races such as this one - because I know full well the freedoms we Americans enjoy were not 'free.' They were earned through the
hard work and bought by the sacrifice of thousands of veterans over many generations who unselfishly chose to serve our country
to ensure it was and will stay the “land of the free and home of the brave.”
And you know, when it comes to expressing our thankfulness, the Bible is clear that
you and I are to “pay everyone” what we owe them. This means giving “respect to
whom respect is due” and “honor to whom honor is due.” And if giving someone
respect and honor means holding them in high esteem as a result of something
they have done or were willing to do, you and I would
do well to thank the men and women who have served in both times of peace and
war for their willingness to join “the perilous fight” whenever and wherever
they might be called.
So on this Veteran’s Day, may we be sure to give “honor to
whom honor is due” by thanking a veteran for their service to our country.
After all, as George Orwell wrote, “People sleep peaceably in their beds at
night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that freedom is
never free and that we owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who have served
to make our country a place where we are free to worship You. Help us to return
to being a country once again fully united under the slogan “one nation under
God” Lord that their service might not have been in vain. It’s in your precious
name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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