John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

“Spoiler alert”: Maybe this “devotion” isn’t very devotional — it’s just me sharing something that’s on my mind.

Regular readers will know that Myra and I like to review our giving pattern at around this time of year. The underpinning scripture is 2 Corinthians 9:6-7:

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Verse 6 makes it plain that we will do well to give generously. From verse 7, “God loveth a cheerful giver” is often quoted and of course we should give joyfully, but it’s the start of the verse that is the focus. We are to give purposefully. We need to review, and make decisions. We are to give according to the intentions of our hearts — not as we are persuaded by others, nor according to some “rules”.
As we thought about our giving this year, one change was on both our minds (and we tend to believe the Holy Spirit is prompting us in these things when we are so synchronized). We are not minded to reduce our commitment to any of our current causes — education, family, missions and poverty. But a “new” group is demanding our attention.
Why are veterans a relatively underserved group? Today’s veterans, thanks be to God, are not treated in the same way that Vietnam veterans faced when they came home … but it seems veterans have never been well treated. Whenever I think of this topic my mind turns to Englishman Rudyard Kipling’s poem about the lot of a foot soldier in Queen Victoria’s army. I’m sure I’ve quoted it before. The last verse goes:

You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all: We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face, the Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!” But it’s “Savior of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please; an’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool — you bet that Tommy sees!

Maybe it’s because most wars happen far away, and we’re not personally involved in the causes. Maybe most of us don’t have friends and family who look like veterans in need. Whatever the cause may be, the treatment of those who were willing to lay down their lives is a disgrace.
So what are we going to do? We don’t know yet. We’re going to look for a way — preferably faith-based — to support homeless or hurting veterans. Feel free to suggest one!