Pearl Harbor
December 7th1941, a date in which the Empire of Japan deliberately, and maliciously attacked the Pacific Naval Fleet on the island of Pearl Harbor. 77 years ago over 2000 were killed, over another 1000 wounded, and countless ships and aircraft destroyed. We remember today the sacrifice made by the men and women who served and gave everything on this morning 77 years ago. What does it mean to serve? What does it mean to sacrifice?
Jesus said, John 15:13 (NKJV)13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” The end for so many is a scary time. For millions the end of their life whether it’s of old age, or taken by way of an accident is a terrifying ordeal. There are so many people who are lost in the end who never knew the love of Jesus Christ. I think of the over 2000 souls lost 77 years ago and wonder how many of them were saved. I think back of what that morning in Hawaii must have been like. The weather was beautiful and much like any other morning people were at work, and none of them knew it would be their last day, their last chance to know Jesus Christ. I think of those who died in the Arizona as the air slowly faded and the slow time it took to face the truth that it would be their last day. The sad, yet undeniable truth is that we never know when our time is up. The biggest question is what have we done, or what will we do with the time we have left, however long that may be?
Psalm 90:12“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”I remember when I was in the military and I never knew when the last day might come. I went on mission wondering if it would be my last, if my number were up that day. While the experience stuck with me for years, I can remember being both calm and terrified at the same time. I recall feeling at ease because I knew where I was going, but also I found it upsetting all the things I would never be able to do. It seems irrational thinking about all the things yet to experience in this life considered the perfection of Heaven, but the feelings I experienced were very real. I had been a Christian my whole life up till that point 20-21 years, but all things considered I was a baby in my faith. It wasn’t until many years later that I would have a much better and in depth view of what it truly means to be Christian.
Today the thought of so many people in this world who don’t know Christ and who will never know the eternal life of Heaven breaks my heart. The evidence points to the Gospels being true accounts, the Non-Biblical accounts corroborate many of the Biblical facts. Even with that people choose to think of Jesus as a myth, a crazy man, or just a regular guy who did nice things for people. The facts are fairly plane when you put all the pieces together instead of picking and choosing what to focus on. While it’s true none of us saw what happened that day, the fact remains that there are eyewitness accounts of the acts of Jesus Christ, and the ‘facts’ point to a risen Christ with an empty tomb. The empty tomb shows Christ overcame death and promised we too who follow would also overcome death.
I think it’s important to use events like Pearl, Boston, 9/11, San Bernardino, even events like hurricanes, that we understand the end day is never promised to be after a long life. We must count our days, and to gain a heart of wisdom is to be blessed by God. We are blessed in salvation, but we must accept that salvation. We must place our hope in the Son, and accept the nature of life, and that it’s not told to us when or how the end comes. It’s better to be prepared and to know the savior and be at ease when the moment of death arrives no matter if it’s at a ripe old age, or a sudden accident. We need to count the blessings for each and every day, and understand tomorrow is never promised.
The Arrow Preacher 