Choosing the Right Hill to Die On.

There is a saying…

Is that a hill you are willing to die on?

In a battle, a hill (or other high ground) is of immeasurable value. As a point of defense, having your army on top of a hill gives you a tactical advantage in that you can see an oncoming attacker a long way off (taking away any advantage of surprise), thus allowing you to prepare your defense accordingly. Offensively, holding the high ground gives you an ideal position from which to conduct a siege, or keep an enemy contained. Famous battles on such hills as Pork Chop Hill, Bunker Hill, Heartbreak Ridge, San Juan Hill, and many others were oftentimes decisive battles in a conflict. Arthur MacArthur, the father of famous WWII general Douglas MacArthur, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee for his heroism during the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Because of the difficulty involved in taking a hill, the missions to do so were often deemed “suicide missions” because of the likelihood of high casualty numbers.

In our current culture, you often hear the expression related to personal, business, and career decisions. It is another way of saying, “The decision you are about to make — do you feel strongly enough about it and have enough conviction to risk everything? Is this decision worth the potential fallout that may very well ensue?” It could be a job decision that could potentially cost you your job or a promotion. It could be a decision that could cost you a friendship. It could be a life-altering choice that could forever alter the course of your life. While we may not always see the immediate consequences of positive decisions, we see negative decisions played out every day…

The decision by a person to drink and get behind the wheel of a car.

The decision of a spouse to walk away from the marriage they promised to honor.

The decision of a pregnant mother to end the life of her child through abortion.

Yet in spite of whatever decisions and consequences we face everyday, there is one “hill” that trumps them all…

It is a lonely hill called Calvary where Jesus faced a choice: Call 10,000 angels to storm down from Heaven onto a sinful race and obliterate all of His enemies, or go to the cross and be the sacrifice for all mankind.

His choice was YOU. He looked down through history, saw you right where you are, and decided that taking a chance on saving you was worth it.

So while you may have tough decisions that cost you personally, making the eternal choice to trust Jesus as your Savior is an easy decision you can make — not a hill you have to die on.

Why?

Because He already did.