Everything valuable comes with a price — and freedom is no exception. Whether it is our freedom to choose our place of worship, to travel across borders, or to pursue the career of our choosing, our freedoms are costly. We have untold debt to those who fought and sacrificed for the political and social liberties we enjoy today.
Our spiritual liberty was not cheap, either. We owe our spiritual freedom to Jesus Christ, who paid for it on the Cross. Jesus is the only way for us to find spiritual freedom from the enslavement to sin. To know Christ is to know true freedom. Jesus Himself said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
God's sacrifice for us was not measured by financial expense or political cost. When Jesus came to earth, He sacrificed His untold glory and splendor in heaven to walk among us. He endured more physical and emotional pain in His final days than we can imagine. He experienced the spiritual pain of being separated from the Father while He hung on the cross. He paid for our sins with His own blood.
While we should always be grateful to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for the political and social freedoms we experience today, our overwhelming thanks should be directed to God for the greatest sacrifice of all — our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Whatever blessings of political freedom we experience in this world cannot be compared to the freedom that Jesus gives. The daily liberties we treasure on this earth are fleeting, but our spiritual freedom will last for eternity.
Our liberty comes with a cost. Whether it’s personal, political, or national, someone has to continually pay in order to maintain it. Christ has paid for our spiritual freedom, while many men and women sacrifice their lives and limbs to ensure the physical freedoms we enjoy today. Discover how recognizing freedom’s value gives us the ability to serve one another.
This is a day to be thankful, to remember.
For all those who have protected our nation, for the men and women in uniform, together, we say “Thank You.”
There’s great power and strength in the loyalty of your service, because of these things:
- There’s power in unity and standing strong together.
- There’s power in fighting on behalf of our nation, and for those who cannot fight for themselves.
- There’s power in rising up in courage, pursuing victory for what is right.
- There’s power in knowing that God Himself fights on our behalf.
- There’s power in prayer and in the One who sets us truly free.
May we never forget the cost of it all, the great price that was paid for our freedom, and the courage that our nation was founded on as "One Nation Under God." Thank you to those who paved the way for our liberty, to those who have fought hard, and were willing to pay such a great price.
May He help us to always stand strong for what we know is true. May He help us to walk in love. May He help us to live brave. For all those who wear the uniform today and for those who have gone before, we pause to pray…and give thanks…and to remember.
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