KEY SCRIPTURES: John 15:3
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
RELEVANCE
This short passage, spoken of by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, means more to countries around the world than we often think.
Freedom is always bought with a heavy price. Oppressors seek new places to rule, so defending those places from tyrants, dictators, and persecutors is essential. Even the bible says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8). Tyrants do the same.
Australia would now be a Japanese sub-nation were it not for our brave armed forces and allies. Many of us today do not realise how close we came to being a vassal State of Japan in WWII.
By 1942, Australia had a population of 7 million compared to Japan's 72 million. There were 7,500 Australian troops stationed in Darwin, a strategic port and the closest city for the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces to enter our sunburnt but free country. It had already been bombed in more than 50 air raids. At great cost and eternal thanks, we were saved.
Nearly every Australian family has been affected by war in one way or another. In numerous countries, Australia is celebrated for having assisted with their freedom, as well as our own, and we should never forget that.
Below is an excerpt from australianwarheroes.com.au
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Australians fought heroically to defend Australia in Darwin and places like the Kokoda Track. Our country had its back to the wall during this time, fighting against a very formidable enemy.
When it comes to courage, mateship and sacrifice, you will not find any better example than the Australians who gave their all to save Australia and their loved ones on our mainland.
If one is looking for the true character of the Australian spirit, it would be at the graves of Australians who died to our North during WW2.
“To stand on my homeland, surrounded by our war dead, who fought heroically to defend Australia and their loved ones down the track, was a profound experience and initiated the creation of the song.” – Peter Barnes.
A total of 434 WW2 war graves, marked by bronze plaques, are contained in the Adelaide River War Cemetery.
The burials are made up of 14 airmen of the RAF, 12 unidentified men of the British Merchant Navy, one soldier of the Canadian Army, 18 sailors, 181 soldiers and 201 airmen of the Australian Forces and seven men of the Australian Merchant Navy.
The Northern Territory Memorial to the Missing honours a further 292 Servicemen and women lost to the north of Australia. The adjacent civil section contains the graves of the nine Post Office staff killed on 19 February 1942 during the bombing of Darwin, one of 63 separate occasions from that date.
The civilian casualties of WW2 include those of 31 Indigenous Australians.
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The only people who enjoy war are warmongers.
Our spiritual life is also involved in war, and God gave us some strategies for understanding our enemy and successfully defending our spiritual freedom.
Who is our enemy?
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12
How do we withstand the onslaught of the enemy?
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
...and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13
What about attacking our enemy, or do we just defend?
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 2 Corinthians 10:4
The overall war?
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4-5
Today, remember two important facts. One is that the freedom we enjoy today was defended and kept by others who went before us—some laying down their lives on the battlefield or later with PTSD. We owe them a debt, never to forget them or their cost.
The second one is that Jesus laid down His life for freedom and left an extraordinary inheritance for all people, even dictators, to enjoy. All we need to do is repent, ask Him into our lives, and follow Him.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, thank you for those people who defended their countries against oppressors. It would be a sobering experience to face that reality. Thank you that they did. The beauty of freedom is rarely recognised until it is lost.
Photo by David Clode