How much do you love your country? We express our love for our nation in many ways. Growing up with a dad who served in the Armed Forces impressed this truth on me. When my dad went to serve in a foreign country during the Vietnam War, we spent a whole year without him. His sacrifice was greater than ours as he left four of us behind to go and serve. Living on airbases across the country and around the world, I grew accustomed to hearing Reveille in the morning and Taps in the evening. In a recent funeral, I was moved by the sound of Taps and the flag presentation to a family member.
Paul expressed his patriotism for Israel with a fervent desire for his fellow Israelites to come to salvation in Christ. If you had asked him, “What do you want for your fellow citizens of Israel?” Paul would surely have answered, “For all of them to be saved.” He felt this so strongly, that he was willing to give up his own salvation to see them come to salvation. With all of Israel’s advantages, he did not want them to miss their own messiah, Jesus who had come to save Jews and Gentiles alike.
In these tumultuous days in our own country, let believers echo the sentiment of Paul. More than anything, we desire for all in our country and our world to come to faith in Christ. As I read the scripture, this is the greatest need of all. No person can do well, ultimately, apart from faith in Christ. What would we be willing to give in order to see all Americans and all persons come to Christ? Jesus defined true love for friends in this way, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lays down his life for his friends.”
