The Honor Guard

"The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves." -- D. L. Moody.

The definition of honor is high respect. The definition of duty is a moral obligation. It is upon these two things we must build, restore and practice our life. If we as a society place selfishness above sacrifice, shamelessness before honor, and dereliction above duty we will see our society collapse. We already see this in part in the worship of self more than God. We already see this in an entitlement mentality. We see society becoming in some places more of a consumer society rather than a contributor society. And yet, there are those among us who are the epitome of honor, duty, service and sacrifice.

Last year I had to fly to Houston, Texas, to do a funeral for my Uncle Gene Everett. On the way there I saw so many of our young people in their Army uniforms, and I noticed something about each one of them. They are so young. I noticed how even in their youth they have a look about them that bespeaks duty, honor and courage. They are defending our freedom. They did not ask for this war against terrorism, but they were asked to serve, and they are doing it with honor. At the funeral, the Army provided an honor guard for my uncle, and they presented the United States flag to his wife of 63 years, my Aunt Louise. When I met these young soldiers, dressed in the Army's blue uniforms, they were so young looking, I thought at first they were high school students. I was wrong. One of them is a crew chief on a Black Hawk helicopter. Their tunics bore the ribbons of combat. Their faces were firm, respectful and so young. On the subway under Atlanta airport I ran into two more of our young soldiers. One was a young lady and one was a young man. They might have been in their early 20s. Tears came into my eyes as I thought that these brave men and women, so young, are giving up their lives in service. To date 5,278 Americans have been killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Freedom is not free.

I am challenged, humbled and grateful for such outstanding young people. They understand honor, duty and sacrifice. Awarded five campaign battle stars and the presidential unit citation, my Uncle Gene went to war at age 18, was behind enemy lines for most of his time in Germany and was only 21 at the end of the war. He never told anyone about his exploits until we discovered the archives and documents about him. Thousands of others did the same thing in World War II.

We cannot, we must not, we shall not forget their sacrifices or their example of honor, duty, sacrifice and courage. To do so would dishonor them. As Christians we must recover this attitude. We read in John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Romans 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

1 Corinthians 6:20 You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty".

Start with the Ten Commandments. Read the Sermon on the Mount. And remember that we too have our marching orders. Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords gave them to us in Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (This is a command.) And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (This is a promise.)

Whatever it takes, and it will take every last one of us, we must recover honor, duty, service and sacrifice. This is what it takes.

What will our legacy be?