Have you ever heard of Behnam
Irani? As you read this, he is in prison in Iran. His family is
concerned about his health at the moment because he is reported to
have an intestinal disorder. He was arrested in his home and
sentenced to six years in prison without a trial. His crime? He
became a Christian and a pastor. You might be arrested just for
reading this column in Iran. Or in China, or Myanmar, or Thailand, or
hundreds of other places in the world where the government is
elevated above the individual.
The freedom we are blessed with in
America came at a terrible cost. Freedom is never free. It is always
paid for in blood. I am thankful today for those who sacrificed their
lives so that I could live in freedom.
My challenge is to take full
advantage of the freedom that has been purchased for me. How sad to
live in America today and still be a slave. But Jesus said if we sin
we are a slave to sin. Sin may be fun for a time, but it always takes
you farther than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to
stay, and costs you more than you want to pay. Jesus set us free from
the slavery of sin. He paid for our salvation so we could be truly
free now and for all eternity. It's not a coincidence that America
promotes freedom and is great because of it; God himself knows the
value of freedom. Paul said it is for freedom that Christ has set us
free.
I am doubly-blessed. I live in a
land where rights are protected and the pursuit of happiness is
guaranteed. I've been set free by the blood of more than a million
men and women who died for this country. But I've also been set free
by the blood of the creator himself. It staggers the mind.
My desire is to live my life worthy
of the price that was paid. My desire is to live my life in a way
that honors those who shed their blood for me.
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