Our Freedom, Our Failure
March 10, 2010
We often hear a great deal about the freedom that exists in the United States of America and how important it is to protect that freedom. I agree, wholeheartedly. We do have great freedom in this country that must be maintained. But let us consider what we do not have. We do not have a young woman tortured to death in September of 2007 for refusing to deny her evangelical faith. We do not have a group of Christian women imprisoned for eighteen months under severe pressure. We do not have the February 2007 case of a man jailed for four and a half years simply for worshiping in a church and then tortured to death. And we do not have the cases of two men, ages 23 and 30, who were arrested for holding a religious service in a private home. These men died two days later in a military camp from torture wounds and severe dehydration. What can we say to this, West Broad and friends? Only that these people sought the Lord in a place without freedom. We live in a country with every freedom, and we blaspheme the Lord. In doing so, our freedom is our failure (1 Pet. 2:16)! That is, we have largely eliminated God from our major institutions and public discourse. He is not welcome in our quest for diversity, even though every ungodly vice and pursuit is (2 Tim. 3:1-4). And even “church-going” Christians reject God by giving him minimal importance in their lives as they pursue other interests, instead (Ex. 20:3; Jer. 25:6-7; Matt. 10:33). Friend, you will tremble before God and give an account one day of how you used your freedom (2 Cor. 5:10). Evaluate your present choices and think carefully — what will your answer be? —JLNJR (Resource: Christianity Today, 12/07, 13).
