In memoriam, or in memory of, is our way of remembering those who have gone before us. We give flowers, put flags at headstones and plant trees. All of this is to honor the one lost and keep their memory alive.

Today, in memoriam, we pause to remember those who gave their lives so we can have the freedoms we often take for granted. We pause and thank God for their sacrifice. We pause and reflect on our own call to sacrificial love.

^14-15 The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together. ^16-17 This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. (1 John 3:14-17 MSG).

Am I being a good sister to those in need? The honest answer is sometimes. It is easy for me to let work and other commitments get in the way. Today reminds me that I can do more. I can do more to remember and give thanks, as well as, do more for those in need.

Are you living a sacrificial life? Share your thoughts here and breathe life and bring hope to others.