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<section  class='av_textblock_section av-5bd59d6-8fb417576da5b616239b6ac5cb6af4b9 '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><blockquote>
<p><strong>Based on John 11:32-44</strong></p>
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<div  class='hr av-287z8j-7309da680e738cb9cd5c7124a9150723 hr-default'><span class='hr-inner '><span class="hr-inner-style"></span></span></div><br />
<section  class='av_textblock_section av-lv58ap8r-58524477537134426f07433d5766c0bf '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><p>The airman watched as the aircraft lowered its ramp, and he peered in and saw the flag-draped boxes.</p>
<p>They huddled together and flinched as the volley of guns echoed over the hallowed ground, and the sound of the bugler playing “Taps” brought tears to nearly every eye. They stood there on that hallowed ground and saw nothing but white headstones.</p>
<p>She stared at the urn on the shelf because it stared back at her, and she was sad.</p>
<p>It’s that picture of your loved one or your loved ones who smile back at you in perpetuity, but it makes you sad because you know that you can’t talk to them anymore or hold them or hug them.</p>
<p>It’s the black metal that rubs against your wrist and you look down to see the names that are etched into that memory bracelet, and you realize with sobering reality that these are battle buddies that are no longer with us.</p>
<p>All of these are sobering reminders that at some time in the future, someone will stand over your grave and my grave and be sad. That they will stare at our pictures as we smile back at them, and they will be sad knowing that they can no longer speak to us, talk to us, hold us, or hug us. Someone once said that grief is the price that we pay for having loved so much on this earth.</p>
<p>But Jesus knows. And more than that he completely understands because he’s been there. He stood in a cemetery, and through his eyes he saw the effects of sin in the tear-stained faces of his friends and loved ones. He looked at the grave of his loved one, his dear friend Lazarus, and he wept because he was sad. He had felt the effects of sin’s consequences in his own life.</p>
<p>But he did something about it. With his robe he wiped the tears from his face. He cleared his throat and with the power of his voice, he told death and grave that today they would not win the victory. And by raising Lazarus from the grave, he gave his friends and us a preview of his own victory over death, so that they and we might believe that he is the resurrection and the life—and that by believing, we might live forever.</p>
<p>So it is true for you and for me and for all who have died trusting in him who is the resurrection and the life. The remains in that flag-draped box, the remains in that urn, the dry and dusty bones beneath those white headstones—they will hear his voice, and the grave and death will have no choice but to capitulate.</p>
<p>In the bugle call, the angels will not sing out “Taps” but will play “Reveille.” It’s time to wake up, never to sleep in death again, for Jesus has swallowed up death forever.</p>
<p>I pray that this is your comfort and your sure hope in your grief.</p>
<p><strong>Prayer:<br />
</strong>Almighty God, you have knit your people together into one holy church, the body of Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow the example of the blessed saints who have gone before us, so that in lives of faith and willing service, we with them at last will inherit the inexpressible joys that you have prepared for those who love you.</p>
<p>Send your holy angels to guard and protect the men and women of our armed forces who are currently deployed to the Middle East, for those who are anxious as they wait and wonder. Calm their hearts with your presence and your promises. Bring peace to that region of the world so that our warfighters might return home safely and live their lives in peace. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.</p>
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<section  class='av_textblock_section av-1xndci2-6914dcc6b6db809895d70d83d4e42bff '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><p><em>Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.</em></p>
<p><em>All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.</em></p>

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<description>&lt;img loading="lazy" width="80" height="80" src="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg" class="wp-image-30208 avia-img-lazy-loading-30208 attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg 80w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-36x36.jpg 36w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-180x180.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px" /&gt;At some time in the future, someone will stand over your grave and be sad.</description>

At some time in the future, someone will stand over your grave and be sad.

Military Devotion – Live Forever – November 1, 2024

<img width="80" height="80" src="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg" class="wp-image-30208 avia-img-lazy-loading-30208 attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg 80w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-36x36.jpg 36w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-180x180.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px" />
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<div  class='avia-video av-lp7brtdb-17fbc7182f05756e85728280f176a21e avia-video-16-9 av-no-preview-image avia-video-load-always av-lazyload-immediate av-lazyload-video-embed'  itemprop="video" itemtype="https://schema.org/VideoObject"  data-original_url='https://vimeo.com/1022895950'><script type='text/html' class='av-video-tmpl'><div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading="lazy" title="October 25, 2024 – Military Devotion – Peaceful Sleep" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1022895950?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963&autoplay=0&loop=0&controls=1&muted=0" width="1500" height="844" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write"></iframe></div></script><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class="avia_playpause_icon"></div></div></div><br />

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<section  class='av_textblock_section av-5bd59d6-8fb417576da5b616239b6ac5cb6af4b9 '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><blockquote>
<p><strong>Based on Psalm 4</strong></p>
</blockquote>
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<div  class='hr av-287z8j-7309da680e738cb9cd5c7124a9150723 hr-default'><span class='hr-inner '><span class="hr-inner-style"></span></span></div><br />
<section  class='av_textblock_section av-lv58ap8r-58524477537134426f07433d5766c0bf '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><p>How is God testing your patience and your faith today?</p>
<p>You might be saying to yourself, “How<em> isn’t</em> God testing my patience and my faith today?” So much so that you can’t even sleep at night. So much so that at night you cry out, “Answer me when I call to you. . . . Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Well, you’re not alone.</p>
<p>These cries for mercy and relief from distress are direct quotes from King David’s Psalm 4. When King David writes, “Give me relief from my distress,” literally he’s saying, “I’m in a tight spot. I’m in a narrow place. It feels like the walls and the ceiling are just slowly coming down and pressing in around me and making me feel that I’m crushed.”</p>
<p>So what is it that’s going on in your life right now? Or in the life of your family or parents or children or battle buddies or our nation? Maybe you’re thinking ahead to November 5th, and all of it makes you feel like the walls and the ceiling are just caving in on you, and you echo the words of King David and say, “Answer me, Lord. Give me relief from my distress. Give them relief from their distress. Have mercy on us and hear our prayer.”</p>
<p>And is there so much going on in your world right now that you look around and you ask, “Who can show us anything that’s good right now?” That’s exactly what people were asking King David in this psalm. In spite of all the distress in his life and in the lives of the people under his care and protection as king, he says this at the end of the psalm: “In peace I will lie down and sleep” (verse 8a).</p>
<p>How in the world could David be so confident? He says, “I <em>will</em> do this. In peace, I will lie down and sleep.” How can I have restful, peaceful sleep with all of this crying out for mercy and relief from distress?</p>
<p>Well, David answers that question by saying this in the psalm: “You alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety” (verse 8b). When we are asking who can show us any good, King David shows us the Lord.</p>
<p>And he tells us who the Lord is. In verse six, King David says he is the one who shines the light of his face on us. This is such a cool picture. In the Bible, when it talks about God shining his face on us or turning his face toward us, it’s a picture that God is showing favor on you. He smiles with approval on you. He keeps you and all the circumstances and situations in which you find yourself before his eyes. He knows about them. He knows about all of it.</p>
<p>And because of that, he is the God who is near to us, not distant. And because he shines the light of his face on us, that means that he blesses us in spite of our hardships and sometimes <em>through</em> our difficulties and hardships.</p>
<p>It means that because he turns his face to us, he not only hears and listens to our prayers but answers all of them according to his will. It means that he has mercy on us when we cry out for mercy. It means that he will give us relief from our distress because we cry out to him for relief from our distress. If not in this life, then in the life to come.</p>
<p>So my challenge to you this week is this: to read Psalm 4 out loud tonight before you go to bed. And not just tonight, but every night this week before you go to bed. And then, lay your head on your pillow in peace, knowing that the Lord is your God. In peace, knowing that the face of the Lord shines on you with all of its brilliant, glorious light. In peace, knowing that God not only listens but answers your prayers according to his mercy, that he does have mercy on you, that he will give you relief from your distress—if not in this life, then in the life to come.</p>
<p>Allow that peace to push out those walls and that ceiling that feel like they are crushing down around you. Let that peace surround you, and have a peaceful sleep tonight in the Lord.</p>
<p><strong>Prayer:<br />
</strong>O God, the helper of all who call on you, have mercy on us and give us eyes of faith to see your Son, that we may follow him on the way that leads to eternal life. As we look ahead to the election of our governmental leaders in November, and as we look at all that feels as if it is crushing us, help us to know that peace that surrounds us and protects us, and grant us peaceful sleep. In your name we pray. Amen.</p>
<p>My friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. Amen.</p>
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<section  class='av_textblock_section av-1xndci2-6914dcc6b6db809895d70d83d4e42bff '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><p><em>Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.</em></p>
<p><em>All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.</em></p>

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<description>&lt;img width="80" height="80" src="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg" class="wp-image-30208 avia-img-lazy-loading-30208 attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg 80w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-36x36.jpg 36w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-180x180.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px" /&gt;Which freedoms are you willing to sacrifice for someone else’s soul?</description>

Which freedoms are you willing to sacrifice for someone else’s soul?

Military Devotion – Peaceful Sleep – October 25, 2024

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<div  class='avia-video av-lp7brtdb-5944ab450b661707b8f89a51402e6fc3 avia-video-16-9 av-no-preview-image avia-video-load-always av-lazyload-immediate av-lazyload-video-embed'  itemprop="video" itemtype="https://schema.org/VideoObject"  data-original_url='https://vimeo.com/1020698475'><script type='text/html' class='av-video-tmpl'><div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading="lazy" title="October 18, 2024 – Military Devotion – Selfless Sacrifice" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1020698475?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963&autoplay=0&loop=0&controls=1&muted=0" width="1500" height="844" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write"></iframe></div></script><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class="avia_playpause_icon"></div></div></div><br />

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<section  class='av_textblock_section av-5bd59d6-8fb417576da5b616239b6ac5cb6af4b9 '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><blockquote>
<p><strong>Based on 1 Corinthians 9:19; Mark 10:45; Isaiah 53:12</strong></p>
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<div  class='hr av-287z8j-7309da680e738cb9cd5c7124a9150723 hr-default'><span class='hr-inner '><span class="hr-inner-style"></span></span></div><br />
<section  class='av_textblock_section av-lv58ap8r-58524477537134426f07433d5766c0bf '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><p>Which freedoms are you willing to give up?</p>
<p>If one day your government came to you and said, “We are repealing these amendments to the Constitution and rewriting the Bill of Rights for the good of the Republic,” how would you react to that?</p>
<p>You’d probably protest a little bit and maybe not be so willing to sacrifice those freedoms, because as citizens of the United States of America, that would be a difficult thing to do. We would say, “Well, we have these freedoms, and these are our rights. They’re written down. This is what the founding fathers of our country fought for and what we continue to fight for.”</p>
<p>Which freedoms are you willing to sacrifice for the sake not of the Republic, but for someone else’s soul? That’s what the apostle Paul wants us to consider when we look at our reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. I encourage you to read the whole chapter. Paul says that he’s willing to give up something that in his eyes—and actually in our eyes—he rightly deserved. In fact, it was scriptural that the worker deserves his wages.</p>
<p>So for those who devote their full time to gospel ministry, to sharing the good news of Jesus and administering the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, God says they should be paid and supported by doing that.</p>
<p>But the apostle Paul said, “I’m willing to sacrifice that right and that freedom as a Christian if it means that I can win more people over for the gospel.” What the apostle Paul did was work a side hustle to support himself in addition to doing all the things that were required of an apostle and a pastor and a congregation.</p>
<p>He said, “I’m willing to be a slave to these people, to step in their sandals, to understand them better, so as not to put an obstacle in the way of them hearing the good news of Jesus.” Because people were walking through towns, proclaiming to be preachers or pastors, only to become wealthy from it. Paul said, “I don’t want to be that. I want to set this aside, even though I have the freedom to do it, so I can win more for the gospel.”</p>
<p>That’s a difficult thing to do—for us to set aside the freedoms and the rights that we have as Christians in order to walk in someone else’s shoes. And sometimes that means to get into the messiness of their lives just so we can show them the freedom and the hope that they have in Jesus.</p>
<p>So how was the apostle Paul able to do that? To say, “I am free, but I’m going to make myself a slave for all these people”?</p>
<p>It’s for the same reason that we will follow the apostle Paul’s example. You hear this from Jesus in Mark chapter 10: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (verse 45). And the prophet Isaiah said this over 700 years before Jesus was even born: “He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).</p>
<p>Jesus put himself in my shoes—actually in my flesh and bones—into my sin and my hell and my death. Into yours. Into our selfishness. For all the times we were unwilling to sacrifice for others, Jesus put himself in our shoes—not just so he could understand us better, but so he might set us free from our selfishness. To set us free from our sin and our death and our hell so we might be set free to be servants to all people.</p>
<p>Because Christ did this for me, I want to do this for other people. And I know that you do too. To do that, to better understand other people, that sometimes means being willing to meet them where they’re at. And sometimes that can be messy.</p>
<p>So my challenge to you this week is this. Take out a piece of paper and a pen or take out your phone and write this down in your notes. Think about all the people that you interact with on a daily basis—this is your community. Write down the names or the places where you interact with people during the week. After you do that, stop and think, <em>How can I be present in their life?</em> Which means maybe scheduling this time. That when you go to the gym, maybe you’re going to schedule an extra 15 minutes before and an extra 15 minutes after so you can be present in the lives of the people there that you interact with. Or when you walk your dog, maybe you schedule extra time to do that to be with those people and be persistent in those interactions.</p>
<p>Just ask them, “How are things going?” Just be prepared because the answer could be a little bit messy. But that’s okay. Be persistent in those messy conversations and in their messy lives and say, “Hey, I hear you. When can we get together for coffee? When can we have you over for dinner so I can hear more and we can be a support for you?”</p>
<p>This is what it might look like in your life—to be all things to all people, to selflessly sacrifice for them, to win as many as possible, so they might come to believe and trust in the One who sacrificed absolutely everything for them. So they might be free from their sin and their guilt just as we are. And so they might have all things just as we do in Christ Jesus. That’s selfless sacrifice.</p>
<p><strong>Prayer:<br />
</strong>Lord Jesus, keep your household, the church, in continual godliness and set us free from all adversities, so that under your protection we may serve you with true devotion and holy deeds. Lord Jesus, several spouses have requested prayers for their service members who are deployed overseas. They ask that you de-escalate the situation in those regions of the world where we have U.S. troops deployed. Send your holy angels to protect our service members around the world. Reassure their spouses, their children, their parents, their family members and friends that you are present with them here in the States, present through your Word and sacrament to comfort and strengthen and to bring peace. We ask this in your name and that all be done according to your will. Amen.</p>
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<p><em>All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.</em></p>

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Military Devotion – Selfless Sacrifice – October 18, 2024

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<section  class='av_textblock_section av-5bd59d6-8fb417576da5b616239b6ac5cb6af4b9 '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><blockquote>
<p><strong>Based on Hebrews 4:12,13; 9:14</strong></p>
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<div  class='hr av-287z8j-7309da680e738cb9cd5c7124a9150723 hr-default'><span class='hr-inner '><span class="hr-inner-style"></span></span></div><br />
<section  class='av_textblock_section av-lv58ap8r-58524477537134426f07433d5766c0bf '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><p>Have you seen the shoulder sleeve insignia of the U.S. Special Operations Command? It’s a dagger pointing upward, which represents the unconventional nature of special forces operations. The insignia also contains three lightning bolts. They represent the ability of special forces to strike rapidly by air, land, or sea.</p>
<p>What about the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 65th Medical Brigade? If you’ve seen it, you know that the sword is pointing downward. This indicates a military unit with a non-combatant posture because the Medical Brigade’s mission is to heal and preserve life at all costs.</p>
<p>I want you to think about those insignias as you read the words from the author to the Hebrews in chapter 4. As you do, ask yourself which one of these shoulder insignias represents the sword of God.</p>
<p>The author to the Hebrews writes, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12,13).</p>
<p>Well, that’s a frightening picture the author paints! The Word of God, or the sword of God, pierces to the very depths of our soul, doesn’t it? And it’s not just any sword—it’s a double-edged sword, which means that as you drive it into the cavity of another human being, it penetrates down to the deepest part of their insides.</p>
<p>This is the sword of God. It penetrates deep inside our souls, and it opens up our insides and reveals all things. And there are some pretty dark places in there, aren’t there? I know, because I have those too. Those dark places that you wouldn’t want anybody to know about—the thoughts and desires of your heart. The things that you don’t talk to anybody else about, the stuff that nobody knows about, those impure desires that you might have for somebody else, especially of the opposite sex.</p>
<p>Maybe those thoughts and desires that you have are against other people. Maybe they are selfish desires and selfish thoughts. And God’s Word is clear. He demands pure thoughts and desires from us all the time, toward everybody and about all things.</p>
<p>So then we read about the same sword of God, this Word of God, in the same letter to the Hebrews. The author says in chapter 9, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (verse 14).</p>
<p>What the author says here is that Christ offered himself unblemished to God. And that means is if you were to take the sword of God and penetrate Christ and open him up for all to see and peer into the very depths of his soul, you would find purity and blamelessness and righteousness in all his thoughts toward everyone and in all his desires, even to those of the opposite sex. You would find purity even in his thoughts toward his enemies, even in his thoughts toward his family and friends who disappointed him so many times.</p>
<p>And by those pure thoughts and righteous desires, he cleanses our consciences. Your impure thoughts and desires are completely purified and washed and made righteous down to the very depths of your conscience. Now, that sounds like that non-combatant sword of the medical brigade, doesn’t it? A sword that heals and makes whole and gives life.</p>
<p>So we go back to that original question: Which shoulder insignia is represented in our Hebrews passages? The answer is yes—both of them. Because the sword of God functions in both ways and for good reason. It cuts us to our very core and cuts us to the heart, so we repent and then turn and feel the healing touch of that good news about Christ for us. So we then, as the writer says, may go and serve the living God with renewed desires and renewed thoughts and renewed hearts all because of the sword of God.</p>
<p><strong>Prayer:<br />
</strong>O Holy Spirit, draw your sword and pierce our hearts so that our sins might be revealed and that we might repent. Draw your sword and pierce our hearts so that we might be healed by the cleansing blood of Jesus.</p>
<p>This week on October 13th, our U.S. Navy celebrates its 249th birthday. Since 1775, the United States Navy has protected America at sea, and so we pray, Lord, that you keep our sailors safe and faithful in their vocation as they defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep the seas open and free. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.</p>
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<p><em>All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.</em></p>

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<description>&lt;img width="80" height="80" src="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg" class="wp-image-30208 avia-img-lazy-loading-30208 attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg 80w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-36x36.jpg 36w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-180x180.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px" /&gt;The sword of God—his powerful Word, which pierces to the depths of our souls and reveals the darkness inside....</description>

The sword of God—his powerful Word, which pierces to the depths of our souls and reveals the darkness inside....

Military Devotion – The Sword of God – October 11, 2024

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<p>Based on Ephesians 5:21–6:4</p>
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<div  class='hr av-287z8j-7309da680e738cb9cd5c7124a9150723 hr-default'><span class='hr-inner '><span class="hr-inner-style"></span></span></div><br />
<section  class='av_textblock_section av-lv58ap8r-58524477537134426f07433d5766c0bf '   itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop="text" ><p>Duty. Honor. Loyalty. Sacrifice. Discipline.</p>
<p>For those of you who serve or have served in our nation’s armed forces, you know the importance of these values because they encapsulate who you are and why you serve, and they give purpose and motivation to carry out your vocation.</p>
<p>These same values align closely with what God calls us to in our relationships. Husbands are called to love their wives just as Christ loved the church, with the same selflessness and sacrifice Christ showed when he laid down his life for his bride, the church.</p>
<p>Wives are called to submit to their husbands and to respect him—not in a way that is demeaning to them or that diminishes their value as women—but in a selfless, willing attitude where she recognizes her God-given role as helper and companion to her husband. And her model for this self-sacrifice or submission is the way that the church willingly submits to Christ.</p>
<p>For those who are single, they are called to willingly remain faithful to God’s will for sex and marriage and to faithfully serve others as Christ served us. Now for you who serve in our nation, there’s a challenge to remain faithful to these callings. The culture of our military just does not often offer a safe and supportive place for people who are single to remain faithful to God’s will.</p>
<p>Then there’s that challenge to balance duty to country with duty to family and spouse. Then add to that the unique strain and stress of deployments and training that put that strain and stress on your vocations.</p>
<p>The good news, my friends, is that Christ still stands as the head of the church, his bride, which is you. He laid down his life for you. He washed you with water and Word to present you to himself without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. And yes, you heard that correctly. For all the times that you have stained the wedding dress of your vocation with faithlessness to those vocations, Christ has taken you and he has washed you in the waters of your baptism. He is duty bound to you; he is loyal to you; he sacrificed himself for you.</p>
<p>So whether you are deployed or at home, on shore duty or sea duty, Christ calls us to duty, to honor, to loyalty, to discipline, to sacrifice, to love in our vocations. To lead in our families so that they might see Christ, to lead in our marriages so that our spouse may see Christ, to lead our friends so that they might see Christ. To sacrifice for the good of our neighbors, to reflect the love of Christ in our words, in our actions, and in our attitudes.</p>
<p>And that, my friends, is loving as Christ loved the church.</p>
<p><strong>Prayer:<br />
</strong>Lord Jesus, as we contemplate the vocations you have called us to, I ask that you keep all single people in our armed forces strong to resist temptation, to bless them with an attitude of contentment in their calling as single people, and to bless them with faithful friends and family when they are lonely. I ask that you keep all husbands and wives faithful to each other and to you, especially during deployment cycles and training, when spouses are apart from each other. I ask that you bless all parents with patience and love as they raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. May your Word flourish in our homes.</p>
<p>Lord Jesus, for many of our veterans, October 6 is a pivotal date in their history because this is the day Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan in 2001. This event changed the lives of so many people in our military communities. For those who still struggle with grief and guilt, with trauma and heartache, I pray that you offer them hope and comfort that can only come from your promise. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Lord Jesus, be their Good Shepherd. In your name I pray. Amen.</p>
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<p><em>All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.</em></p>

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<description>&lt;img width="80" height="80" src="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg" class="wp-image-30208 avia-img-lazy-loading-30208 attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-80x80.jpg 80w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-36x36.jpg 36w, https://wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/842x347-MilitaryDevotion-2022-180x180.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px" /&gt;Duty. Honor. Loyalty. Sacrifice. Discipline. For those of you who serve or have served in our nation’s armed forces, you know the importance of these values...</description>

Duty. Honor. Loyalty. Sacrifice. Discipline. For those of you who serve or have served in our nation’s armed forces, you know the importance of these values...

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