If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can’t take that away.
 

From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee,
across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA,
Well, there’s pride in every American heart,
and it’s time to stand and say:

I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A
 

Freedom isn’t free. It carries a price of commitment and sacrifice to preserve that freedom and to pass it on to future generations intact. In order that Freedom will become a reality, our nation needs to return to its spiritual heritage and to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are two basic considerations shared with us in Galatians 5, (1) vs. 1: “It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery, and (2) vs. 13: You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your FREEDOM to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” The price for our freedom was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sin. The price of our obligation in the freedom we enjoy is to serve one another in love.

A nerve was touched (perhaps consciences) when words resonated across our land as Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, DC on August 28th, 1963. The familiar words are - - -

For the Church and the individual professing Christian, there must be the commitment to make our freedom in Christ be genuine and working at its best and finest - everywhere. We can no longer live for ourselves and by our own set of rules. Submission to authority is not easy but it is the responsible way to live and interact. No one is ever really free in this world and lifetime – there are guidelines and expectations ranging from civility on the secular plane to yieldedness on the spiritual plane. The restrictions God places on our freedom are not infringements on our liberty – they are protections against evil.