“Roddie’s Code: choose right, oppose wrong, dignify life, and esteem everyone.”
You’ve lived for Jesus all your life. You’ve chosen to “want to be near Him” more than anything else in life. You read and live out the scriptures as your faith grows.
Then WWII erupts. You enlist. You make your way up the chain to become a Master Sargent. When you finally enter combat, you become part of Nazi Germany’s last major offensive – the infamous Battle of the Bulge.
This is the first combat experience for both you and your men. You become surrounded. With no way out, you and what’s left of your men surrender.
As a POW, you’re fed sawdust filled black bread. You’re surviving on 500 calories a day. After 90 days, you’re truly a living skeleton.
Then the moment comes. You say you love Jesus. The One who said, “If you love Me, you will obey Me. And love your neighbor as yourself.”
You are the highest ranking officer in the camp. You are told to only have Jews fall out, while the rest of your men are to remain in their barracks. By this time, stories of what Germans have done to Jews have begun to spread. What do you do?
Roddie Edmonds, age 24, had every single man of his almost 1,300 Americans fall out. The German commandant was outraged. He only wanted the Jews. So, what do you say to the man who points a loaded Luger at your forehead and says, “I only want the Jews.”
Roddie replied, “Sir, we are all Jews here.” The commandant walked away in disgust. Roddie saved 200 lives, who happened to be American soldiers of Jewish decent. He acted on a code that Jesus gave him.
You don’t have to be perfect to do something extraordinary. You just need to act on what you say you believe. Be hero. Love Jesus.