I recently saw a movie that deeply reminded me of a truth we all know but don’t always put at the front of our minds.

 

Freedom is not free.

 

I was blessed by the movie Dunkirk.  It was not easy to watch, but it was an incredible testimony to the love and sacrifice and honor displayed by a variety of different people covered in the movie.

 

Lives were lost and people willingly put themselves in harm’s way in an effort stand up to a wicked oppressor……a truly great movie based on the true story of the men and women who fought to save our world from evil.

 

One scene convicted me as I stood in worship at church this Sunday—a scene involving a British fighter pilot.  As he went to turn his plane around and fly back to refuel—he spotted a German bomber positioning itself to attack the people fleeing Dunkirk.  Some were in military ships but most were in commercial and private boats that were utterly helpless to defend themselves.

 

As the pilot sees the bomber, the movie viewer is in full view of his dilemma.  He can either defend the helpless and run out of gas….or save himself.

 

It takes a moment for him to make his choice.

 

And…….like MANY MANY soldiers—-he chooses to be hero.

 

Shortly before the credits roll—he is taken captive by the German army and his fate is unknown.

 

Heroes like this are hard to find.

 

In our world today, I repeatedly see people lauded as heroes when, in fact, they are not.

 

I do not mean this to be a condemning word but I do want to highlight the truth and say who is, and who is not, a hero.

  • Tom Brady is not hero…….even though he is a fantastic competitor and quarterback.
  • Tim Tebow is not a hero…..even though he is a great example that I want my kids to look up to.
  • Paul Walker is not a hero….even though he was a great actor who died too young.
  • Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, and numerous other politicians of either party are not heroes…..they just happen to have found political success.
  • Tupac and Drake and Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney and Chance the Rapper and DJ Khaled and any other musician are not heroes….they have simply found a way to perform (depending on who’s opinion you are taking) great music that draws people to them.
  • Actors are not heroes.
  • Billionaires are not heroes.
  • Popularity contest winners are not heroes.
  • Athletes are not heroes.
  • Preachers are not heroes.

 

Heroes expose themselves in order to help others.  They are unselfish, courageous, and unwavering in fear.  They stand up to injustice and are willing to put themselves in harm’s way in order to defend the weak or the vulnerable.

 

I am truly grateful for men who have fought for freedom.  When I stand out and listen to our national anthem before a football game it is an occasion when I cry and THANK GOD for our freedom—freedom to worship, freedom to work, freedom to gather on a Friday night to play a silly game called football in front of a crowd that cheers for us as if we are heroes…..

 

But it is in moments like these that I am most grateful for the freedom that I have been given…..given to us by men who EXPOSED themselves and paid for our freedom…….and that freedom was not free.

 

There is a great story in the Bible about being a hero….and it is a great story about a woman named Esther.  In the face of great danger, Esther goes before a king and begs for the lives of her people.  She does so knowing that she might herself be executed for two different things:

  • she goes before a king uninvited
  • she exposes herself as one of Jews

And both of these offenses were punishable by death.

 

At first opportunity she can’t do it…..she is simply too afraid.

But in her second opportunity, she puts her neck on the line to save her people.

 

In her struggle to determine if she should or should not put her life in danger and expose herself….she is encouraged by the very verse that should encourage us:

 

Esther 4  14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

 

Have you been placed in a “royal position”?  

 

Many of us have….and though we may not look at that way–God has put us in a position of royalty.  

  • Many look up to us.  
  • We have places of influence that we walk into every day and people who look to us for guidance or advice.  

 

I have heard many times that we are not to discuss politics or religion in mixed company….and I agree.  But Jesus is not a religion……He is the man who saved us not only from the now—but from the eternity.

 

And we must make a decision.

 

We can either share Him and all He has to offer or we can hide it away.

 

In the spiritual realm many are imprisoned by a wicked man—just like those fought to save in World War 2.

 

Many are lost and hurting and searching for the answers that a believer holds.

 

Many have rejected the Living God and the Gospel and the opportunity to be saved….and they have no idea what awaits those who reject our loving God.

 

And so we must all come face to face with the same questions as Esther…..and we must all take in the very words that Mordecai gave to her as she wondered if she should expose herself……

 

For such a time as this……

 

It is 2017.  But the enemy that influenced Haman to exterminate the Jews is influencing others to go astray and be broken, lifeless, and lost.

 

Are you willing to expose yourself as a fool for Jesus and share Jesus with those who may not know who He is?  

 

It just might be the most important thing you ever do.  You won’t be doing anything close to what that pilot did…..but the eternal implications will be far greater.

 

Expose yourself as a follower of the King as a means to lead someone else………Be a Hero and make the decision.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J