Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Think of the soldier standing in the cold and snow of Valley Forge. The men with their muskets in their bloody hands at Lexington and Concord. They could not see then what we enjoy now, but they were fighting for it – freedom.
We have been blessed to be born into freedom. We are blessed by those who sacrificed to give it to us. We are not in North Korea or Cuba or any other totalitarian government where the state would be our god, and we would own nothing. Leaving the country or even traveling within her borders is not safe.
Freedom is not free. Freedom is responsibility. The Apostle Paul writes, “For freedom Christ has set us free…For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:1a, 13) When Paul wrote these words, he was living under a bloody despot, Nero, the Caesar who had become the Roman god. Paul flew no banner but Christ. He knew, as we know, that Christ has granted us the ultimate freedom. Freedom from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Christ gives us strength and reminds us of His presence even as certain freedoms get taken away or limited. We pray for those misguided souls who want to scream and yell the loudest in our country. They need the reminder that having freedom means responsibility. They can only do these things because they live in a place where it is allowed.
Paul gave the warning that we all need to heed in these days of being in everyone’s face and the rampant public discord. “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” (Gal. 5:15)
In Christ,
Pastor