daily devotion – This coming ANZAC Day.
John 15:13
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
As we draw close to ANZAC Day, our hearts are stirred as we reflect on what so many men and women faced when they went overseas to war. It is difficult—perhaps impossible—for us to truly comprehend the horrors they endured. War reveals the depths of human brokenness, something we were never created for.
The mind records such moments without filter—the atrocity, the sorrow, the pain, and the devastation. Many who left never returned, and for those who did, life was never quite the same. Behind them were families who bore a different kind of suffering—living with loss, absence, and the enduring weight of sacrifice.
Helen and I paid a visit to the National ANZAC Centre in Albany, overlooking the very harbour where the ships gathered before departing for Gallipoli. As we looked at the photographs of those young soldiers, it was striking how many appeared so young—almost boys. It is deeply moving to consider what they gave.
As disciples of Christ, may we never take for granted the great sacrifice made by so many. Because of such courage, we are able to gather freely, to worship, and to give glory to our Lord and Saviour without fear.
This ANZAC Day, let us pause and remember those who gave their lives so that we might live in freedom.
Yet even greater is the love of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who laid down His life—not only for our freedom in this world, but to deliver us from our greatest enemy: sin, death, and the grave. Through Him, we are reconciled to God and given eternal life.
As we come to the Lord’s Table, may our hearts be fixed fully upon Him—our Saviour—reflecting on His sacrifice and His love for each one of us.
1 Corinthians 11:25
“After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”