Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes! Today is a day of gratitude. One in which we take the opportunity as a nation to honor those who have served in the defense of our nation. Since the original patriots of the Revolutionary War, men and women have sacrificed much for us to be able to have the standard of living, freedom, and liberty in which we live today. Some of these patriots have seen action and survived, some of these patriots have given what President Lincoln described as "the final full measure of devotion", and some have served in periods of peace. All have sacrificed much to provide our sense of security and for that we are greatly indebted.
The first celebration of Veterans was through the recognition of Armistice Day on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in honor of the ending of World War 1 in 1918. In 1954, this remembrance became known as Veteran's Day in the United States. For those who love statistics, please click on this link for more detailed facts on our country's Veterans: Veteran statistics United States 2013 Census from Infoplease.com
Today's Tuesday's Musical Notes salutes all who have served, from those early patriots who fought for our independence to those who serve currently in bases and camps all around the world through service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard. We pray for your safety and we thank God every day that you are where you are. Today's Notes are in your honor...
It
is a rare occasion that a military-themed song breaks into the top 40,
much less make it to #1. However, in the middle of the Vietnam war
(American involvement 1965-1975) and at the point where the antiwar
movement was gaining ground in the United States, "Ballad Of The Green
Berets" went to the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 and stayed there for 5
weeks. It would be beat by the Monkees' "I'm A Believer" (7 weeks at
#1) for the #1 song of the year for 1966.
A
choral arrangement of "Ballad Of The Green Berets" would later become
the theme for the 1968 movie The Green Berets starring John Wayne. Both
the movie and the song came at a time in our nation's history when
patriotism needed bolstering. The Vietnam War was fast becoming very
unpopular and as happens so many times, the art of the time begins to
reflect life and the attitude of a nation. It would be one of the last
songs that was considered positive towards the military and patriotism
and would quickly be followed by the "protest" songs of the late '60s
and early 70's.
Every
day of our life we experience new challenges. Sometimes these are
pleasant, other times they seem much more like wars. How we face those
war-like challenges says much about who we are. We can either be
transformed into a "Green Beret" of that battle, or find ourselves a
prisoner of war. It really boils down to who we have fighting with us.
As kids, my brother and I played "war" (yep, we played "war" with sticks and hickory nuts before the advent of the Atari...Nintendo...
Our battles today are different, yet we still get to chose who we have on our side, fighting with us and for us. Jesus said "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:32 NIV This means that every person who has ever existed will have an encounter with Jesus as some point in their life. By His death on the cross, His being lifted up, Jesus says that He provides a way of escape from an existence apart from God. He provides the opportunity for victory in the war. While Jesus draws all men to Himself, men ultimately have to chose whether to stay with Jesus or reject Him. As you encounter Jesus through the interactions of the Holy Spirit, you have the opportunity to pick Jesus to be on your side in every battle that you face. Jesus also provided this promise: “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them..." John 14:15-21 NIV You may not win every battle, but you can rest in the promise that Jesus made and it will embolden you to win the overall war. There is victory in Jesus...seems like I've heard that somewhere before...
As kids, my brother and I played "war" (yep, we played "war" with sticks and hickory nuts before the advent of the Atari...Nintendo...
Our battles today are different, yet we still get to chose who we have on our side, fighting with us and for us. Jesus said "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:32 NIV This means that every person who has ever existed will have an encounter with Jesus as some point in their life. By His death on the cross, His being lifted up, Jesus says that He provides a way of escape from an existence apart from God. He provides the opportunity for victory in the war. While Jesus draws all men to Himself, men ultimately have to chose whether to stay with Jesus or reject Him. As you encounter Jesus through the interactions of the Holy Spirit, you have the opportunity to pick Jesus to be on your side in every battle that you face. Jesus also provided this promise: “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them..." John 14:15-21 NIV You may not win every battle, but you can rest in the promise that Jesus made and it will embolden you to win the overall war. There is victory in Jesus...seems like I've heard that somewhere before...
There is coming a Veteran's day like never before. One where those who have chosen Jesus to be on their side and placed Him in command will come through the battle victorious. One in which God the Father gets to say to you, "Come,
you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom
prepared for you since the creation of the world." At this point: The
war will end... All battles done... We'll be with Jesus... We'll have
won... we gave our best... in every way... just like the men... of
the Green Berets... Child of God...prepare for battle!!!
"Revival In The Land" by Carman, title track from the 1989 album
"Revival In The Land" by Carman, title track from the 1989 album
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
Randy
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