Freedom Requires Sacrifice - Week 1

I want to tell you about a Navy Seal named Michael Monsoor. Michael was serving in Ramadi, Iraq. It was a terrible place then. There were loudspeakers all around the city with men yelling, "Kill the Americans!" and on September 29, 2006, Mike made the ultimate sacrifice for two of his friends.

They were on a roof and a grenade bounced off Mike's chest. Mike could have escaped, but his friends couldn't. So, he threw himself on the grenade & absorbed the blast. He died. His friends survived. One of the survivors said:

"Mikey looked death in the face that day and said, 'You cannot take my brothers. I will go in their stead.'"

I watched the award ceremony where President Bush gave Michael's Medal of Honor to his family, and it's the only time I've ever seen a president of the United States cry. The greatest act of love is giving up your life for someone else. It's what Jesus did for us, and it's what Michael did for his friends. - So what's the point? Well, what does freedom require? 

• Freedom requires sacrifice.
• Freedom requires responsibility.
• Freedom requires rules.
• Freedom requires surrender.