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God desires for us to realize there is no way we can earn his favor. Eternal salvation and a new hope in Him is a gift; not something to be worked for or paid for. God wants us to trust Him, not as a being who gives us what we’ve earned out of obligation, but as a Father who gives freely out of unconditional love. “Am I a good Man?” “Am I a good man?” “Have I led a good life?” Words of agony leak through tears of doubt as the former Private Ryan demands affirmation from his wife. A lifetime has passed since he received a soldier’ final request. Propped against a crippled tank amidst the ruins of war, Capt. John Miller had whispered, “Earn this.” With his dying breath he tattooed the words onto Ryan’s psyche: “Earn this!” In this scene from Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan, Miller refers to the six men who gave their lives to get Private Jack Ryan safely back to his mother. Six lives lost to save one; six mothers grieving so one could rejoice. Fifty years later Ryan kneels at Miller’s grave and recalls his captain’s words. They have been his constant, chafing companions; the best years of his life have shivered in their shadow. Did he “earn this”? Was his life worth their sacrifice? Read more... |
