We?ve been seeing the familiar red poppies pinned on lapels and collars for some time now. Today is Remembrance Day, here in Canada. Schools are closed, as are many businesses. At eleven o?clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, people will stop what they are doing and many will stand in silence for one minute, to honour the men and women who died during past wars. We honour them because they fought and died to preserve our freedom. And well we should.

Freedom from tyranny is a great cause. There isn?t anyone on earth who doesn?t value it, especially those who have had to fight to gain it. But there is something of even greater value ? something we don?t have to fight for ? freedom from sin and reconciliation with God. We don?t have to fight for it because it has already been won by the death of only one man on a cross over 2000 years ago. When Jesus willingly laid down His life for us, the battle for our souls was won eternally.

Being reconciled with our Father in Heaven should be the highest value anyone could subscribe to, because without it, earthly freedom is a brief illusion. Ask the thousands who are in prison because they refuse to deny their faith in Christ. They have considered freedom of lesser account. Ask those who have lost their jobs and their property because they follow Christ. They have considered everything of lesser value. Ask those who have died because of their belief in Jesus. They considered life without Him not worth living.

But ask those who live in countries where everyone can worship at the church of his/her choice without fear. Ask those whose lives and property are not at risk because they call themselves Christians. Sadly, too many of us do not value the freedom Jesus offers. We do not value a relationship with Him. We don?t even value eternal life. We are much more concerned with living as comfortably as possible today. We have Bibles on our shelves that are rarely opened and we go for long stretches of time without talking to the God we say we believe in. We might go church every now and then ? Christmas seems like a good time ? but for the most part we live our lives separate from God.

Perhaps we should institute a second Remembrance Day ? perhaps at the third hour, on the third day of the third month. We could all stand in silence for a moment to honour the One who died for our freedom from sin, so that we could be reconciled with the God of this universe and live eternally with Him.

At least then, He?d get one minute of our undivided attention.

Marcia Laycock is a pastor's wife and freelance writer living in Alberta Canada.  Her devotional book, The Spur of the Moment has been endorsed by Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and others.  To order, and to view more of Marcia's writing, see her web site - www.vinemarc.com
Copyright Marcia Lee Laycock, 2000, 2001,2002,2003,2004,2005