monument<\/a>, depicted a strategic victory for the U.S. during World War II. \u00a0This mountain top provided the Japanese soldiers a vantage point for spying out American artillery positions; and this victory marked the first Japanese soil conquered by Americans. \u00a0My intent is not to provide a full historic discorse of this event, but simply to illustrate the significance of honoring and remembering key events and moments in our history.<\/p>\nI sense a growing spirit of disunity and disrespect toward our country. \u00a0Political unrest, increased debt, major controversial social decisions, and a long season of war have created disharmony. \u00a0While it is more important that we find our identity in Christ, there is value and merit in holding pride and loyalty in our Country. \u00a0We must be careful not to swell with pride to the place that we forget God’s blessing and favor upon this country. \u00a0If it were not for Him, we would not exist as Americans. \u00a0We should heed Micah 6:8 and the challenge to walk humbly before our God.<\/p>\n
Memorial Day provides an\u00a0opportunity\u00a0for\u00a0reflection\u00a0and thanksgiving. \u00a0If it were not for the men and women who voluntarily paid the ultimate sacrifice, we would not have the freedom to debate freedom. \u00a0We truly are blessed to be Americans. \u00a0Beyond the patriotic spirit, I believe that Memorial Day provides a unique spiritual opportunity for each of us.<\/p>\n
Proverbs 22:28 tell us, “Do not move the ancient\u00a0landmark\u00a0that your fathers have set.”<\/strong> \u00a0Whereas a flag raised in Iwo Jima provides a significant landmark for WWII, there a landmarks that are unique to our spiritual journey that should be remembered. \u00a0We see these landmarks often in Scripture:<\/p>\n\n- Noah on dry land \u2013 Genesis 8<\/li>\n
- Moses as God gives victory in battle \u2013 Exodus 17<\/li>\n
- Gideon receives peace from God\u2019s plan \u2013 Judges 6<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
These are just a few examples of the numerous times that an altar would be built, or standing stones would be erected, to signify what God had done. \u00a0For me and for us today, those landmarks look differently. \u00a0Perhaps it is a date marked in the front cover of a Bible, or a purity ring, or a photo on our timeline, or a tattoo. \u00a0For each of us, there should be physical markers that define our spiritual journey.<\/p>\n
The value of these is so that we don’t forget. \u00a0Remembering the past prevents us from repeating the past. \u00a0Remembering the past praises the memory of God’s blessing. \u00a0Remembering the past allows us to have confidence in the face of our fears. \u00a0Remembering the past keeps us moving toward new and uncharted waters.<\/p>\n
This Memorial Day I pray that we will remember those who have fought for our country’s freedom. \u00a0More so, I pray that you and I will remember the faithfulness of God in our lives and that we will praise and thank Him for all He has done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was February 23, 1945, while fighting in Iwo Jima, that five U.S. Marines and one U.S. Navy Corpsman raise the American flag atop Mount Suribachi. \u00a0This infamous photograph turned monument, depicted a strategic victory for the U.S. during World War II. \u00a0This mountain top provided the Japanese soldiers a vantage point for spying out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions\/158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}