What price Freedom….
“What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.13 The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race.14 From his throne he observes all who live on the earth.15 He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.17 Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—for all its strength, it cannot save you.18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.19 He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.20 We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.” Psalm 33:12-22
I wonder how many read this Psalm before going into battle. It would be quite the reassuring poem, (Psalms is a book of the Bible that is filled with poems), for anyone, don’t you think? Some say war is a necessity, it’s inevitable because most often it begins with just two people. Usually over something prideful, but always something that can be worked out if time was taken to resolve whatever issue was at hand. Big wars are usually over land. ‘I want it…’ ‘You can’t have it, it’s mine!’ ‘Then I will take it!’ And it’s on…crazy, isn’t it? But if you look back and even at the present, it’s all over the land. England didn’t even want this country until they saw how good it was. Then, when the people wanted to break free of the Royals it was on! Paul Revere and all! And the rest is History…
Lots of people died for the cause of freedom. They still are. Lives are given every day for it, yet it is taken so much for granted that many don’t even notice. I see people not standing when the flag is in parade mode or when we sing the National Anthem, many do not put their hand on their heart, but shout to the rooftops when they feel a right has been violated. Wonder how they think those inalienable rights were formed? But that is not what I want to be the takeaway today…
There’s one who died for the freedom of all. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for the whole world! You see the freedom we know as rights and privileges are not truly real freedom. These things allow us the freedom to choose what we want to do, freedom to express ourselves, freedom to bear arms, freedom to worship the way we want, but all of those still come with some strings attached. True freedom isn’t really any of these things. True freedom comes from a heart that has been cleansed, purified, and set free from every care and burden that ever beset it. True freedom comes when we can hold up our head because we have allowed the One Who made freedom from sin and shame possible into our hearts and have a relationship with us. That is true freedom and many a man and woman who have seen the woes of the battlefield can tell you that while there, they met the One Who saw them through and still sees them through today.
This is true freedom and the only place it can be won is in the heart. Jesus ‘n’ ME along with many of our Brothers and Sisters are here to show you how to let that freedom reign at any time you are ready to stop fighting the battles alone. And that’s the real takeaway today.
Keep the flag flying and your eyes looking up…He hasn’t lost a battle yet and is always on the ready to help you with yours!
Until we meet again…Mary G.
