Cruise is a genuine hero, something that we rarely see in the 21st Century. Many paratroopers never made it to the ground, for they were an easy target as they fell slowly to the ground. Many more landed miles from their intended targets and were captured or killed. The majority, like Cruise, joined in combat and were wounded. Countless were left dead on the battlefield.

Cruise tells NPR’S Morning Edition of such an incident. After parachuting into France, Cruise and his friend, Pvt. William Vargas, fought for 33 days straight to liberate French villages from the Nazis. Then, a shell exploded just beyond Vargas. Cruise tried to save him, but the best he could do was buy his friend a few more hours by slowing the flow of blood. Vargas died later that day.

Cruise told NPR about that Vargas: “His body was sacrificed for mine, simple as that, so that was a traumatic experience among others but that was probably the most moving. So I always think of that as my physical salvation.”

Cruise rightly calls his friend’s sacrifice his “physical salvation.” We, too, have been offered salvation, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave His life to pay the penalty of our sins. The sentence that accompanies our sins is death, but Jesus didn’t want to see us suffer spiritual death in hell. Instead, He died for us.

Now, we must choose to believe in Him and accept His substitution. Will you allow Him to be your salvation?

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My brothers and sister and I never suffered. My brothers had bikes and skateboards. I had a trike that I peddled down the street after my sister and her boyfriend. I don’t remember my parents spoiling themselves, though. The never purchased anything on credit. They never owned a new car or fancy clothes. A photo of my parents sitting in my grandmother’s travel trailer shows Dad looking very uncomfortable. He would never own such a trailer or a nice enough car to pull it with. 

We children never went without anything we really needed. Because of the sacrifice of my mom and dad, I didn’t realize until I was grown that I had grown up poor. 

The Apostle Paul calls us in Romans 12:1 to be a living sacrifice to God. A traditional animal sacrifice in the first century consisted of the very finest. It was an animal without flaw, perfect, and pleasing to God. Jesus, God made flesh, presented His perfect life as a permanent and perfect sacrifice for all mankind. This being the case, then, why is it that Paul call us to present ourselves sacrificially.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 

– Romans 12:1 

Here, he speaks of our daily walk with Christ. Just as my parents sacrificed so much because of their love for me and my siblings, Paul tells us that our love of God should compel us to sacrifice our own selfish desires and seek the finer things that God offers us. 

We should surrender ourselves daily to God. After all, God sacrificed His only begotten Son for you and me. 

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