We all seem to take our freedom here in America for granted. I found an article written by Dr. Larry Spargimino in the Southwest Radio Church web site, which tells of the high price that was paid by a group of our forefathers back in the 1700s, to establish this freedom. Quote:
Most Americans are familiar with the "Preamble" and the "Declaration of Rights" found in the Declaration of Independence. The third section, however, "The Bill of Indictment," is what was most onerous to the King of England. It charged him with many grievous offenses. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who had the courage to call the King to task?
Eric Barger, a frequent guest on Southwest Radio Church's "Watchman on the Wall" broadcast, provides an overview of the aftermath of July 4, 1776:
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died; Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned; Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army: another had two sons captured; Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds and hardships of the Revolutionary War...John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart...
These men and women were not fanatical ruffians, but soft-spoken individuals of conviction, some of whom were men of means and whose Christian convictions taught them the value of freedom. They had security and wealth, but freedom was more important. They had their jobs, careers, farms and plantations, but life is more than a paycheck and fruited fields. One of the signers, Thomas McKeam, was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost on a daily basis. He served in congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.
An important aspect of the freedom purchased by these brave men and women is the freedom to tell others about the One who died and rose from the dead to set men free from their sins.
One day, long ago, Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, was in the synagogue in Nazareth. He was handed the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. Scripture tells us that He opened the scroll and found these words, which He applied to Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18).
America is the "land of the free and the home of the brave." We have enjoyed many liberties, but freedom is never free. We need to remember the aftermath of July 4, 1776. Being set free should inspire us to defend freedom so that others, too, may be free.
By George Konig
June 18, 2005
www.georgekonig.org
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