I love the Fourth of July. The celebrations, the parades, the proud display of American flags. I am beyond grateful to live in the United States of America, to raise my children here, to worship in freedom in the land of the free, to write stories based on our country\u2019s founding, and to honor those who have fought and sacrificed for our independence. I sometimes feel near tears when I sing \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner,\u201d when I watch those who have served our country hold their hand in salute to the flag.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I can\u2019t help but wonder, particularly at this time of year, why these symbols and commemorations create such sentiment within me and so many others.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The simple answer, I believe, is the value of one word.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Freedom.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s a word that binds humanity together in common longing. It\u2019s a word that causes us to hunger; it\u2019s a word that calls forth willing sacrifice, a word we are willing to fight and die for. It\u2019s a word that came at a heavy price, and in many ways, perhaps that is what makes it so very precious to begin with.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The same reason we find our country\u2019s freedom precious is the same reason we find the eternal freedom won for us on the cross and in a sealed grave more than two thousand years ago so precious. A sacrifice was made, and a price was paid. Only this sacrifice did not secure the rights of a single country; it secured an everlasting, eternal freedom available to people of every nation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As we go about our Fourth of July celebrations, as we gather together as one body of believers, I think it\u2019s important to remind ourselves of the big picture. To remember that this world is not our true home. America, however precious, is not our final kingdom. It is one way in which God has chosen to bless us, and hopefully it will be a means through which we can glorify the God who has indeed called us to be a holy nation\u2014in the form of the church.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I admit that if I don\u2019t dwell on these truths, I tend to forget them. I grow indifferent. I settle in with the crowd. I grasp for the black-and-white answers and ignore the gray. I tend to forget that I do not belong to myself at all\u2014I belong to one ruler, one King, one Kingdom: the Kingdom of Christ. I tend to forget that I\u2019m not defined by political party or economic status or race or profession or denomination. I am defined by Jesus.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And that <\/em>is a freedom more precious than any other.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So as we remember our country\u2019s independence, as we remember and honor those who died for our country, as we pray for our leaders, it is my prayer that we as God\u2019s children would never put our country on a pedestal alongside our true King. It is my prayer that America could be a place where we can live out the gospel. That it could be a means for us to love our neighbors, a means for Jesus\u2019 Kingdom to be built. And it is my prayer that we may be a living sacrifice for Christ both within and outside of our nation\u2019s borders. Not because our country is so very deserving, but because Jesus, who has granted us eternal freedom, is.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.tyndale.com\/sites\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/frank-mckenna-127295-unsplash-1024x682.jpg\")
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\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Hidden Side<\/a><\/strong> by Heidi Chiavaroli<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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