The gift of a free land
We’ve often heard it said—Christianity flourishes under trial and persecution is the seed of the church.
This can leave us with the question, what then if we find ourselves in freedom?
I have often felt caught—am I wrong to hope for a place that applauds, or at the very least, freely allows my Christian walk?
Are we all doomed to a life of complacency while freedom abounds? Are we destined to sit back and grow lax in a land that prospers?
As I scroll news reports and see posts with triumphal music blaring and wild celebrations on display I feel within myself a tremendous sigh of relief.
We have been spared it would appear.
Spared from a path that would directly oppose everything that I hold dear and good and true.
My heart swells with gratitude at what a tremendous gift we are given.
But I determined this morning—I refuse to believe that I am just a victim of what is typical.
We as human beings will always be prone to a laxness and a way of ease —Proverbs makes this clear.
But as believers we are always in the fight against such complacency. Perhaps now our greatest fight is our own selves.
Our fleshly desires.
Our lack of pursuit.
Our tendency to take for granted which came as undeserved mercy.
Perhaps if we could muster up all of the energy that we would have put into fighting back the tyranny, the opposition, the wicked ways of those who love darkness, and put it instead into a battle against our own flesh and the sinful tendencies we have been made so aware of through scripture-perhaps then we would thrive.
And as I go about my morning routine with a lighter heart, this is my prayer for America.
That we would take this merciful gift of freedom and nurture souls for Christ, prepare lives for missions, open our homes to disciple others, evangelize the lost, raise our children to love Christ above all, cultivate lives given to the sacred pursuit of knowing Christ, be a beacon of hope in a world of darkness.
I see the possibilities of a church that turns to passion and zeal instead of complacency and I pray fervently that it be true.
We all know the verse— “of whom much is given, much will be required.” (Luke 12:48)
Oh, that America would bear a bountiful harvest at the hands of the believers who saw the opportunity and poured out their lives unto the glory of their Kind instead of being lulled to sleep by the enticing and fleeting treasures of this world.
We have been given a beautiful gift.
May we squeeze every last drop of opportunity from it to make Christ known in our world.