On June 6, 1944, more than 166,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy, France, a 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified French coast to fight Nazi Germany.More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft participated, and by the end of the day, the Allies had gained a stand in Continental Europe – but at such a price! More than 9,000 soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed the Allied forces to begin the slow, hard trek across Europe to defeat the enemy. Then General Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying, “We will accept nothing less than full victory!”
As I was reading the news about the world dignitaries, soldiers (many,who are now in their nineties), and families of those who “gave all” on that historic day, I thought about how God will accept nothing less than full victory from us. He has given us His Word to tell us what He expects of us. We can’t follow it – sometimes. We have to follow ALL of it ALL of the time if we want that victory. Jesus said that the great commandment is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself”(Matthew 22:37).We must serve the Lord mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. We can’t just “go through the motions.” We must “be faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10), and then we’ll get that crown of life. We will have that “Victory in Jesus!”
May we remember those who died on that beach in Normandy today, who sacrificed so that many could live. May we also remember God, who sacrificed His Son for us so that we could live eternally with Him, and may we give Him our all – He will accept nothing less! God Bless, Courtney