The Cost of Freedom

In April of 1775 the first drops of blood that fell from the wounded body of a Colonial Minuteman upon the grassy carpet of Lexington Green shouted the message. The message was heralded in the blood-stained snow of Valley Forge. The message was proclaimed at Trenton, Breed’s Hill, and Vincennes. It was the message of freedom, freedom from the tyranny and oppression of British rule. It was the message that there was a new citizenship, citizenship in a nation whose people based their lives on the principle that, “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.”

Almost two thousand years ago blood dropped from the face, head, and back of a single individual as He was beaten and humiliated in a far away city. Blood flowed from the wounds in His hands and feet as He was nailed to a piece of wood and displayed before the seen and unseen world. That blood spoke a greater message. It was the message of a greater freedom, a freedom from the tyranny of sin and the enslavement of death.

It was a message of a greater citizenship, a citizenship in a heavenly kingdom that has no end, a Kingdom who’s suffering Savior has risen triumphant, King of kings and Lord of lords.

The founders of this country went on to write in our Declaration of Independence, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” With trust in God, they pledged their all to make their declaration a reality.

Should we who have a greater citizenship and a higher calling pledge any less to our King? As we honor our country, should we not more so honor Him? Does He deserve less than our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor?