Song of the Day
“Remembrance” by Hillsong Worship
Devotional thought
For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11:26 (NET 2nd ed.)
The Church has two sacraments that it has kept since the Lord Jesus’ resurrection; Baptism and Communion. In today’s devotional we will look at the importance of Communion and remembering the sacrifice of Christ regularly.
In the passage above the Apostle Paul says that when we take the bread that represents Christ’s body broken for us, and the cup which represents the blood that was shed for the forgiveness of sins, it is a proclamation that we believe Jesus Christ died and was buried and was resurrected until the Day of His return!
Jesus told His disciples to do this (Communion) in remembrance of Him (see Luke 22:19). He instructed them of this while eating the Lord’s Last Supper with them, knowing that He was about to endure much pain and suffering, even to the point of death, and it was His way of giving them a tangible way for them to remember His sacrifice throughout all of history.
Making the personal connection
Well, when we remember Communion together, we are taking the Bread and Cup as symbols of Christ’s body and blood which was sacrificed for us. We remember that it was our sin that was paid for upon that cross. And, we praise Him and celebrate the offering made to make us whole again before the Father!
It is important to live our lives in remembrance of the sacrifices made that paid the way for our freedom! Our freedom came at a price, and it is good to pause and acknowledge that price paid by another, who was so good to us and selflessly gave His life for our sake. There is no greater expression of love than this!
Another element to this is that we will be singing this song at Eagleville Bible Church on Memorial Day weekend, and although it is Christ we are celebrating and worshiping we do also want to acknowledge the men and women of the United States Military forces that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms too!
I want to say thank you to each one and the survivors who have had to endure such pain and devastation as they grieve the loss of their loved ones for the cause of our freedom. May the Lord our God richly bless you and protect you as you grieve and remember. I, and all of America, are forever indebted to the selfless and loving sacrifices made by all.
I submit that the best way to show honor to all who have given everything for us is to live in a way that reflects what they fought for! If it is for freedom, then let’s live our lives freely! If it’s for us to experience forgiveness and holiness (that is why Jesus sacrificed Himself), then let’s live in that forgiveness and live our lives as holy as possible! Let’s honor those who have gone before by living our lives to the fullest each day.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise You for being the God of comfort and Father of mercy. I appreciate the sacrifice made by my loving Savior, Jesus Christ. I ask that You help me to live my life in remembrance of that act of sacrificial love displayed upon the Cross. Thank You for being so good to me, and all that receive You as Savior.
I also want to pray for those who have lost loved ones in the Military. May Your grace sustain them and Your mercy bring them peace and comfort as they remember their losses this weekend. Holy Spirit be their consolation and surround them with Your protective presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scripture to reflect upon
(Please hover, or click onto, the Scriptures to read the specified text!)
- Romans 12:1,
- Luke 22:14-20,
- 1 Corinthians 11:23–26,
- Hebrews 9:11–14,
- Mark 10:45,
- John 15:13,