JESUS IS OUR ULTIMATE HERO

The Bible tells us honor is due to our parents and others worthy of such, but above all we are to honor our God and Savior Jesus Christ. He truly is our ultimate hero and deserves honor always.

Eternal Perspectives               by Sally Bair

Heroes

July Fourth celebration is past, but my thoughts remain on a heart-stirring event. My church hosted an Emergency Responders Appreciation Day to say thank you to area responders for their selfless service on our behalf. The service included a color guard ceremony that brought me to tears. We cannot begin to thank the part-time and full-time responders who help make our lives safer while risking their own. They are our heroes: brave, courageous and worthy of honor. And when I think of heroes, my thoughts always turn to the Coast Guard team that rescued my son and four others from the Bering Sea during a wind storm under severe conditions. They will always be my heroes.

We have a greater hero, Jesus Christ. He faced a cruel death, yet always focused on the needs of others. He made Himself available at all times. He sacrificed His own safety, comfort and reputation for our sake. And He did so with joy.

We have the privilege of calling on Him in time of need. He always answers our 911 calls for comfort, strength and salvation. However, He wants us to go beyond our requests for help. He calls us to become His representatives as heroes under His guidance. We can become emergency responders in the spiritual sense, by becoming good Samaritans to the unlovely, the unlovable, those in need. We honor Him through our selfless actions. By placing our own agendas behind His—that is, to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength followed by loving our neighbor as ourselves. In other words, by placing His purposes above our own.

We may not be called to fight fires, rescue the drowning or respond to accident victims. But we are called to “be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9)

Jesus told Philip, “Follow me.” (John 1:43) In obedience, he and the other apostles spent three years learning about God, being in close communion with Jesus and eventually dying for Him. They are considered heroes for the sake of promoting God’s Gospel of love and forgiveness. Can we not choose to do likewise?

Lord, thank You for being the ultimate hero. Cause us to follow Your example of selfless love. Show us how to reach out to those in need. As we honor our emergency responders, we honor You, above all, each day. Thank You for being our ultimate hero.In Jesus’ name, amen.