I’ve been thinking about the wonderful freedoms we have lately, and wanted to re-post this article I wrote last year for the 4th of July. Also, I just started a new job this week, and my daughter is getting married this next Sunday, June 2nd. After the dust settles, I will have some new material to post. Be blessed!
The word freedom is second nature to most of us. We take it for granted, because we were brought up in it. Most of us couldn’t imagine living in a place where we were not free to do as we pleased or go where we wanted.
There are many places around the world who can’t say the same thing. How free do you think the people of China, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and many others are?
You see, people in those countries do not have the right to speak out against their government, the right to travel anywhere they want; nor the freedom to pursue their dreams. They live under repressive governments who have total control over their lives. They can be thrown into prison by a kangaroo court and kept indefinitely if they don’t toe the line.
We, and most of the English speaking world have our freedom. We can speak out against injustice, we can pursue education, we can become who we want and go where we wish. But where did this wonderful thing called freedom come from?
The answer to that question can be found in the second chapter of the Constitution of the United States:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights. You cannot have Life, Liberty or the pursuit of Happiness without freedom.
They are not a gift of government, but guaranteed by our Constitution. You see, our freedom comes from God, but are supposed to be guaranteed by our Constitution.
Unfortunately some of those freedoms are slowly being taken away, but that is a subject for another time.
I think many young people, unless they are in the military or are raised in a military family, do not understand that freedom is not free. True freedom calls for sacrifice, sometimes that sacrifice is doing the right thing instead of the easy thing. It can call for the ultimate sacrifice which has been given by so many brave men and women of this country.
The reason there are people in prisons, is because they have shown themselves unable to function in a free environment. Instead of living responsibly within those freedoms, they broke the law and someone else had to come in and control their lives since they could or would not.
If you look through the history of the bible you will see a pattern of God’s dealing with His people. God gives people their freedom and blesses them in so many ways, but as people stop appreciating the freedom and embracing every form of evil God is forced to take their freedom away.
If you look at the countries that have no freedom, you will see they are countries where there is no God; or information about Him is controlled by the state.
Where the true God is not accepted, governments and dictators become the god of their people. I fear that is happening in the United States. As we continue to kick God out of every aspect of public life we will lose more and more of our freedoms. Without God there is no freedom.
On the bright side, if you are walking with God, there is nothing government can do to take away your relationship with God. Government can take away our unalienable rights that God has given us, but we are still God’s and He will be with us no matter what.
As God is slowly and systematically removed from society the morals and values of people will continue to worsen. People will become more selfish and self-serving, as well as, continue to feel more and more entitled.
I think you’re getting the picture of the freedom given to us by God, vs. the freedom that is controlled by a government. The one calls for responsible decision making; with the promise of wonderful national and personal blessings, the other calls for blind obedience to the government and the promise they provide what they think we need.
As you celebrate our freedoms coming up in July, please spend some time thanking God for the wonderful blessings and freedoms that He has bestowed upon us and this country. Walk in the light and you will always be free.
I wonder how much longer we will be able to hold on to our current freedoms?
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