One million black soldiers served in the U.S. military during World War II. Not one received a medal for his valor or bravery during the conflict. Fifty years later the Department of Defense made amends by presenting medals to seven African Americans denied awards because of their race.
Only one was alive to receive his country’s honor for his heroism, so I can’t imagine what was going through his mind. According to the commission that researched black American participation in the conflict, black soldiers put up with what the report called a “wave of racism.” It began after Pearl Harbor, when blacks were thought to be unfit to serve by the U.S. military establishment. But as pressure mounted from the black community in the first few years of World War II, the Army formed two black divisions—“separate but equal”—in 1943. The Ninety-second Division was shipped off to Italy, and the Ninety-third Division was sent to the Pacific theater.
One of the men in the Ninety-second was Lt. John Fox from Boston. He had been assigned to the 366th Infantry as a forward observer in Sommocolonia, Italy. He was the eyes and ears for a battalion of one thousand men assigned to guard a thirty-mile battlefront in the Italian countryside. On December 26, 1944, Fox spotted large numbers of Germans moving in quickly to overrun his position. He immediately called his fire-control officer and directed an artillery assault near his position. But as Lieutenant Fox scanned the horizon further, the number of German soldiers coming his way was more than he initially thought.
This is where Fox did something so heroic, I find it nearly impossible to believe. He placed a second call to the fire controller and asked for an artillery barrage directly on his position.
The fire-control officer refused Fox’s request, but the black lieutenant protested and asked again. Hearing the urgency in Fox’s voice, the officer summoned the colonel commanding the battlefield to talk to Fox. Once again, Fox called for fire directly on his position. The colonel refused as well, because he understood the implication: he would be signing Fox’s death warrant. Fox pleaded with the colonel. “There are hundreds of them coming—put everything you have on my OP!” he said, referring to his observation post. Hesitantly, the colonel rang division headquarters for approval. After explaining Fox’s request, he got the green light. Almost immediately a thunderstorm of high-explosive shells rained down on Fox’s position, sealing his fate. His unit later retrieved his body from the shattered wreckage of his post, surrounded by one hundred dead German soldiers.
Sixty years after John Fox called his fire controller, his command—“Put everything you have on me!”—still resonates for anyone hearing about this incredible story today. John Fox overcame fear and lived strong as a man long before Lance Armstrong came on the scene. He was selfless in his duty, and he did not let racism deter him from doing what he felt that moment demanded—which required him to take the hit for his battalion. He didn’t take no as an escape clause, because he wanted a yes for a thousand guys behind him. For that incredibly selfless act, I salute you, 1st Lt. John R. Fox, 366th Infantry, Ninety-second Division. May your memory live on.
As a military kid I was raised to revere our armed forces, so I’m quite pleased that the U.S. military made it right by honoring John Fox and his brave black compatriots, although it took more than a half century. As we come to the close of this book, you will have to make it right by Jesus Christ as well. Just like the U.S. Army failed to remember, failed to recognize, and failed to honor these brave African American soldiers, most young men have not taken to heart the gravity of what Jesus has done for them. My goal is to help you understand the sacrifice that God’s Son made for you so that when you battle sin in your life, you’ll remember that sacrifice and act accordingly. You will live differently acting on that knowledge. As Charles H. Spurgeon so aptly said, “A dying Savior is the death sin.”
Most guys experience the sacrifice of Christ in an abstract sense, which doesn’t leave room for an emotional connection. That is why I recommend that every young man journeying toward Jesus see Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ to discover the hero of your faith and the captain of your salvation. Why? Because to move you from the have-to-do Christian experience to the want-to-please-You life of God’s young man, you must feel the personal nature of what took place.
Your energy and commitment to become God’s young man hinges on what motivates you. Just to be clear, meditate on what the Scriptures say about what should be driving your life.
He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them. (2 Corinthians 5:15, NLT)
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13)
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
Or have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Romans 6:3-4, NLT)
For every excuse young men may give, there is a bloodstained cross staring back at them. Although many young men like to explain away their lack of commitment because their parents have been hypocrites, their church is filled with whacky people, or they’ve been shunned by fellow Christians, those things don’t matter in the end. It’s between you and God; that’s what it’s about. The Bible says it is only a matter of remembering, recognizing, and responding. No more, no less.
For every excuse young men may give, there is a bloodstained cross staring back at them.
Jesus stood in the observation post at one time. He was our forward observer who saw the potential of sin to overwhelm and destroy your life. Then He called for fire directly on His position, saying, in a sense, “Put it all on Me!” And that’s when hell and death and sin fell upon Him. Friends protested. “Never, Lord!” said Peter, but Jesus refused to back off. He turned toward His Father and said, “I want your will, not mine” (Luke 22:42, NLT).
How do you honor that kind of sacrifice? By making it part of your life.
My daughter Cara was twelve when we attended a communion service at our church one Sunday night. I had been asked to lead the Communion part by our pastor. Everything went well, and nothing out of the ordinary happened, but when I got home, I felt particularly burdened to talk with Cara. So at bedtime I sat down at the edge of her bed and asked her about our experience that night. Before she could answer, this ball in the pit of my stomach left the middle of my body and exploded in my eyes as tears. I wasn’t saying a word, but tears were streaming down my cheeks.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
No sense pretending. “Your dad is always emotional when he does communion.”
“Why?”
“Because it hits me. You know, what Jesus did up there on the cross.”
I reached into my pocket and retrieved a replica of a Roman crucifixion nail given to me by another pastor. The crude nail was nine inches long, and I showed her the blunt tip, which was made for staying in the wood. I placed the nail on top of my left wrist and then on my crossed feet to show her where the nails were placed. Then I briefly described how someone physically dies on a cross. Cara and I talked about how Jesus was pierced by a Roman centurion and how a mixture of blood and water came out of Jesus’s side, indicating that His heart had ruptured.
“So, Cara, Jesus died of a broken heart up there on the cross.”
“I have never thought of it like that before.”
Time seemed to stand still. “Cara. Look at me.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Do you know why Daddy does what he does? Goes places and talks to people?”
“To tell people about Jesus,” she answered brightly.
“That’s part of it, but the main reason Daddy does what he does is because I want my life to be a thank-you for this,” I said, holding up the nail.
I don’t believe I am supposed to get over the Cross.
I don’t care what Cara thought of seeing her father cry so openly, but I didn’t try to hold back on that tender night. It’s always been hard for me to stem the flow of tears when it comes to Communion, a song, or a message that brings me to the foot of the cross.
Why is recalling Christ’s sacrifice so powerful to me? Like no other force in my life, His sacrifice:
• reaches my heart
• renews my determination
• reshapes my relationships
• redirects my passions
• redefines my purpose
• rescues my perspective
• reveals my motives
• redeems my failures
• restores my hope
• requires change
I don’t believe that the Cross was ever supposed to become anything less to me. I don’t believe I am supposed to get over it. I don’t believe any man can live out the truths discussed in these pages and become God’s young man without recognizing his rescuer:
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1-2)
Your life will reflect the value you assign to your relationship with Christ. To be completely in His will requires courage in the face of rejection, discipline in the face of temptation, and motivation to fight hard. Here are three things you can do to get there:
It took fifty years, but the army finally recognized its African American heroes from World War II by taking a thoughtful look at what these men did, evaluating the significance of their contributions, and making a public effort to recall, remember, and reward their heroic efforts. The act of recognizing means acknowledging something that happened and to give attention to it. In your situation, this means:
• acknowledging the personal sacrifice of Christ for you
• accepting His gift of salvation and forgiveness
• admitting your need for His forgiveness and leadership in your life on a daily basis
If this expresses the desire of your heart, you may want to pray this prayer of recognition:
Jesus, I want to personally recognize what You did for me. I want to thank You for dying for my sins. Thank You for forgiving me of all my sins. Take control of my life and help me to always remember what You did. Help me to continually honor your sacrifice. Amen.
A person who is saved by another person’s heroism reacts to the rescuer with words of gratitude, with the offering of gifts, and if possible, a desire to repay the debt. Since Jesus took everything the Enemy had when He hung from the cross, you have been rescued from eternal damnation. This means giving to Jesus:
• all that you are—inwardly in the form of your devotion and loyalty
• all that you have—outwardly in the form of your time and your talents
• all that you hope to be—your dreams, aspirations, hopes, and desires
Your feelings about what Jesus did for you and your desire to live your life for Him means that your life will reflect His purposes, not your own. God’s young man focuses himself on these five things to bring God the most glory:
1. Bringing God pleasure with your life. This is the purpose of worship.
2. Connecting with God’s people. This is the purpose of fellowship.
3. Becoming like Christ. This is God’s purpose of discipleship.
4. Serving the body of Christ. This is God’s purpose of ministry.
5. Telling others about Christ’s love for them. This is God’s purpose of evangelism.
Right now you are building the foundation of the rest of your life. The next few years are the window of time God is using to shape you for the future. That’s why I have strongly encouraged you to take spiritual responsibility for your life and not make excuses.
With God’s help, and with the encouragement and accountability of other brothers in Christ, you can weather the storms of temptation and tests that are bound to come—especially the sexual ones. How you live your life matters to God—and should matter to you.
So go for it. Become God’s young man. And while you’re at it, never, ever, ever forget the price that He paid.