Hebrews 11:33-35 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the allies.”
Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
On May 12, 1962 General Douglas MacArthur spoke for the last time at his alma matter of West Point. It is known as his Farewell Speech, and has profoundly shaped and captured the culture of that institution and of the United States Army ever sense. As a part of that speech, MacArthur reminded those young cadets of the following:
“You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the Nation’s destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The long gray line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses, thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country.”
Indeed, the American solider carries with them the distinct honor of following in the footsteps of giants. This lineage comes with a large dose of inspiration and responsibility. If they ever would stumble, a great cloud of witnesses that he calls the long grey line would cry out in a unified chorus to pull them from the precipice of failure. The line must never be broken.
Similarly, the Christian carries with us the distinct honor of following in the footsteps of giants. This lineage comes with a large dose of inspiration and responsibility. If we ever would stumble, a great cloud of witnesses would cry out in a unified chorus to pull us from the precipice of failure. The line must never be broken.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE INSPIRED BY OUR FAITH-FILLED LEGACY AND LIVE UP TO ITS WEIGHTY RESPONSIBILITY. May we never fail as a part of our own long grey line.
