Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Happy day after Independence Day! With the de-emphasizing of the facts of our American history and heritage these days and that our nation’s greatest holiday falls during summer when most schools are closed, I wonder how many young people actually know why we celebrate with fireworks and why July 4 is a holiday (we should never have started calling it by the date instead of “Independence Day,” which states its purpose)?
It’s sad but true that those who don’t learn from their history (or, worse yet, don’t even know it) are doomed to repeat it. Even now, we’re now fighting to protect the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and preserved by the lives of those who fought throughout our history to defend our country.
These freedoms are based in our unalienable, divinely given human rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as a self-evident truth stated in the preamble to our Declaration of Independence.
Self-evident truth, of which there’s only one that encompasses all facts, brings ultimate freedom for all (John 8:31-36; 14:6; 17:17; 1:1-5; 4:24; Romans 8:1-4; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Acts 2:38-39; Ephesians 4:1-6). The self-evident truth has been revealed to us through Jesus, once for all time, but, like our Constitution, many have sought to redefine or even remove several components (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Peter 2:1-19; Galatians 1:6-9; Acts 20:26-27).
The possibility exists that if we don’t continually review our American history (facts of history do not change, only the interpretation of the facts based on current thought), our Constitution and God’s word, we’ll forget the tyranny against which our forebears fought, including slavery to sin as we forget we’ve been forgiven and fall back under those forms of bondage (2 Peter 1:1-11; 1 Peter 2:24-25; Galatians 5:1,13). Consequently, just like our American Constitution and despite the fact God’s word of freedom will stand forever even without our help, we must study and stand up to protect our freedoms so we can live in peace as Christians and Americans (1 Peter 1:22-25; Jude 1:1-4; Romans 14:16-18).
The freedom Christians receive from sin’s tyranny cannot be taken away as long as we maintain our citizenship in heaven because we’ve already given up our lives in this world, but we can relinquish the freedom (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 1:5-9; John 10:27-30; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Hebrews 6:4-6; Romans 6:1-23; Revelation 1:4-6). We have the choice to gain and keep our liberty as we form the most perfect union with Jesus in his death, burial and resurrection to enjoy the freedoms God intended humankind to have from the beginning so long as we obey him (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-24; Colossians 2:6-3:11; 1 John 5:1-5; 1 Peter 2:16; Joshua 24:14-15).
After study, the next step is prayer (James 1:21-25; 1 Timothy 2:15, 1-6; Ephesians 1:15-23; 1 Corinthians 1:1-10). Otherwise, we won’t celebrate many happy days after. Are you freed from sin and prepared for the greatest day after (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Peter 3:8-13; Matthew 24:36-51; 25:31-46; Revelation 22:1-5, 17)?
Leonard Lauriault is a member of the Church of Christ in Logan who writes about faith for the Quay County Sun. Contact him at [email protected].