However, we still have much for which to be thankful. More than that, we have a huge responsibility.
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. (Luke 12:48, ESV)Sharing last year's thoughts again:
Soon
after Andy came to Oak Cliff as Student Minister, he began a practice
of reading about and praying for a country from the Voice of the Martyrs
Persecuted Church Guide during our Sunday School opening. This
morning, with Andy being gone and Chad being sick, it fell to me to read
about our country for the week, Mauritania. On this Sunday before our
Independence Day, I was especially touched by the plight of the
Christians in this small country in Western Africa.
Mauritania
is 99.8%+ Muslim. Barely 0.1% of the population know Christ. It is
against the law to be a Christian...or anything other than Muslim...in
Mauritania. It is against the law to print or import religious
materials of any religion other than Muslim, and it is illegal to
evangelize Muslims. Conversion to Christianity is punishable by death,
and in 2009, local police arrested and tortured 150+ Christians for
meeting together as a church.
This
week in America, many of us have been greatly distressed by a Supreme
Court ruling which we see as a major blow to freedom. There has been
much talk...and rightly so...of the way our freedoms in this country are
being eroded little by little in many areas. It is disturbing, and we
definitely need to take a stand and protect the freedom that has been
paid for with the blood of so many over the last 236 years.
However,
I was overwhelmed as I read this morning about Mauritania...just one
country among many in the world today where merely claiming the name of
Christ can result in imprisonment or death...that we still have so very
much to be thankful for as we approach this Independence Day. We are
able to claim the name of Christ without fear. We are able to gather
together for worship in peace. We are able to own as many Bibles as we
choose. We are able to share our faith without reprisal. We are
even able to declare and defend our religious and political views via
social media.
Yesterday I commented on a blog post by
a blogger troubled about the popularity of the movie "Magic Mike" and
the book "50 Shades of Grey". One of her last sentences summed up her
whole post so well..."We were made for SO much more!" After spending a
week studying/teaching God's plan and design in Creation in VBS, I was
especially struck by the truth of that statement. In my comment I said,
" I
want to be so caught up in the "more" that God created me for that I
don't have time for books or movies like these to even be on my radar."
I
was reminded of that this morning as I read about the country of
Mauritania and the hardships faced by Christians there. I don't begin
to understand why God allowed me to be born in a country blessed with
the freedoms we are blessed with here. There are things that sadden me
about the direction our country has taken in recent years, and even
more in recent days. But...I am still incredibly thankful for this country in which we've been blessed to live and raise our children.
And
I am even more convicted about the urgency of being caught up in the
"more" for which we were created. So often, we...I..."waste" the
freedom with which we've been blessed. We use our "freedom" as
justification for pursuing all manner of things which are not honoring
to our Creator. We're often very poor stewards of the precious freedoms
with which we've been blessed.
My
heart aches today for the persecuted Christians in Mauritania and other
countries around the world. It is frustrating to feel that there is so
little that can be done for their plight. But there are things that
we...I...can do. We can pray. We can give to organizations that are
working to help. We can become involved in those organizations. I can
teach my children and others about the plight of the persecuted church
and about the preciousness of our own freedom. I can teach them how to
be good stewards of that freedom, and I can be a good steward in that
area myself.
Most
of all, I can not waste a single ounce of the freedom I've been
granted. I can put a priority on reading, studying, and memorizing the
Bible for which so many through the ages have sacrificed so much, up to
and including their lives. I can make the most of every opportunity for
corporate worship, fellowship, and ministry. I can devote my heart and
life to discovering and doing what God created me to do, without
worrying that I am going to be imprisoned or put to death for doing so.
My
prayer as we approach this Independence Day is that we will not only
celebrate our freedom, but that we will steward it well.
If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require
of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear
from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
~2 Chronicles 7:14 AMP
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