“Fear not, for I am with you; be not be dismayed, for I am your God.” – Isaiah 41:10
Thanksgiving is here, followed by the season of Advent, when people come closer to God even if they have neglected their faith in the Lord during the year. You may ask others, perhaps yourself, what a person should be thankful for this year, when everything seems to be well placed in the world that surrounds us. We run our lives as clockwork. There is little time to slow down and truly examine the value of our existence, which could not be possible without God. While there are several things that we can be grateful for, as Christians, we must be thankful for faithfulness. There are many people in the bible whom are good examples of being faithful to God, but it is not as easy to find one such a person in the world we live in. From the new Hollywood film, Hacksaw Ridge I was deeply touched to learn about a World War II hero, Desmond Doss who fits the bill like no other. Desmond was drafted into the United States army in 1942 and while he could have been adjourned as a shipyard worker, he was eager to serve his country. He faced rejection and various types of hostility in the army, due to his unbreakable faith in God and his commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” as he refused to bear arms. While everyone went to the war to kill, he went to save lives. On the battlefield, where hundreds of soldiers died, Desmond was the bravest man, according to his captain. While his own troops retreated, he stayed behind to accompany the wounded, to provide medical aid and to drag to safety the crippled. Desmond Doss saved 75 American soldiers officially, which earned him the Medal of Honor. His faithfulness in God empowered him to relentlessly go over the enemy lines without a weapon, but his bible in his pocket, asking God again and again for just one more life that he can save. I know, that we do not need to go to a battlefield where we should reason with God about breaking his commandment in order to save lives, but I know that we need to have faith every single day in order to believe in God’s word, when he says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” Let us thank the Lord, for the heart that he gave us so we can love and for the mind that we can rest in him.
Thanksgiving is here, followed by the season of Advent, when people come closer to God even if they have neglected their faith in the Lord during the year. You may ask others, perhaps yourself, what a person should be thankful for this year, when everything seems to be well placed in the world that surrounds us. We run our lives as clockwork. There is little time to slow down and truly examine the value of our existence, which could not be possible without God. While there are several things that we can be grateful for, as Christians, we must be thankful for faithfulness. There are many people in the bible whom are good examples of being faithful to God, but it is not as easy to find one such a person in the world we live in. From the new Hollywood film, Hacksaw Ridge I was deeply touched to learn about a World War II hero, Desmond Doss who fits the bill like no other. Desmond was drafted into the United States army in 1942 and while he could have been adjourned as a shipyard worker, he was eager to serve his country. He faced rejection and various types of hostility in the army, due to his unbreakable faith in God and his commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” as he refused to bear arms. While everyone went to the war to kill, he went to save lives. On the battlefield, where hundreds of soldiers died, Desmond was the bravest man, according to his captain. While his own troops retreated, he stayed behind to accompany the wounded, to provide medical aid and to drag to safety the crippled. Desmond Doss saved 75 American soldiers officially, which earned him the Medal of Honor. His faithfulness in God empowered him to relentlessly go over the enemy lines without a weapon, but his bible in his pocket, asking God again and again for just one more life that he can save. I know, that we do not need to go to a battlefield where we should reason with God about breaking his commandment in order to save lives, but I know that we need to have faith every single day in order to believe in God’s word, when he says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” Let us thank the Lord, for the heart that he gave us so we can love and for the mind that we can rest in him.
,,Ne félj, mert én veled vagyok, ne csüggedj, mert én vagyok Istened!” – Ézsaiás 41:10
Elérkeztünk a Hálaadás ünnepéhez itt Amerikában, amit az adventi várakozás ideje követ, amikor az emberek kicsit jobban keresik Istent az életükben, mint az év bármely más szakaszában. Ilyenkor sokan számvetést készítünk és megkérdezzük magunkat és másokat, hogy miért adunk hálát Istennek ebben az évben. Nem könnyű feladat ez a modern ember számára, hiszen életünk olyan, mint egy előre beállított szerkezet, amit az idő és a környezet megerőltetett menetben irányít. Nem marad az embernek sok kedve és energiája arra, hogy megálljon és valóban értékelje az élet igazi kincseit, az élet apró és mindennapos áldásait. Persze azért tudjuk, hogy sok mindenért lehetünk hálásak a teremtő Istennek, de mint keresztyének örömmel kell megköszönjük Istennek a hűségét, amivel bennünket megajándékoz. Az Úr szeretné ,hogy mi is hűséges életet tudjunk élni. A bibliánkban számos jó példát találhatunk arra, hogy mi jellemzi a hűséges hívő embert, amire az életből már kevesebb élő példát találunk. Egy új, amerikai filmben egy II. Világháborús katona, Desmond Doss történetét találtam példaértékűnek. Desmond számára nem volt kötelező a katonai szolgálat, ő mégis bevonult, hogy szolgálja hazáját. Mint katona, Desmond már a kiképzés ideje alatt közellenséggé vált, hiszen annyira hűséges volt Istenhez, hogy a Tízparancsolat ,,Ne ölj!” utasítására nem fogott fegyvert, hiszen úgy gondolta, hogy a háborúba mindenki ölni megy, de valakinek életet is kell mentenie.A harcmezőn Desmond volt a legbátrabb ember, nyilatkozta később parancsnoka. Amíg az alakulatuk visszavonult, Desmond a véres csatatéren maradt sebeket ellátni, rokkantakat biztonságba helyezni. Fegyvertelenül, bibliájával a zsebében tárgyalt Istennel és folyton kérte az Urat, hogy csak mégegyet engedjen megmenteni. Desmond Doss 75 katona életét mentette meg. Istenhez hűséges maradt , nem félt, nem csüggedt, mert tudta, hogy Isten vele van. Nekünk Isten kegyelméből nem kell csatatérre vonuljunk és vívódjunk, hogy fogjunk-e fegyvert azért, hogy életet mentsünk. Ugyanakkor hitünk által Isten érezteti velünk kegyelmét és biztat bennünket, hogy benne keressük menedékünket hűségesen, mindennapos gondjaink közepette, mert Ő velünk van most és mindenkor.
Copyright © 2016, by Rev. Tamas Devecseri, all rights reserve
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