The year was 1775 and the british colonies were growing tired of Great Britain's taxes and having to answer to a king who ruled from a throne which stood a whole ocean away. As the king’s soldiers were filling the streets of the colonies the people began an uprise and demanded freedom. This, as we all know, led us to war with what was at that time the greatest empire of the world, Great Britain.
Freedom has been the heart beat of America and all that call this land home since our founding fathers began to build this great nation. Patrick Henry made a speech to the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, in which he has been credited with convincing the Virginia House of Burgesses to send in volunteer troops from Virginia to fight in the Revolutionary War. Patrick Henry is remembered for the closing words of his speech, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!” His speech ignited a flame among those that attended the gathering. It was reported that after hearing his speech many who were present started shouting, “give us liberty or give us death!”
People were seeking their own personal freedom and leaving everything behind to make the journey to what would be known as “the land of the free” for years before the American Revolution even started. Many risked death just to taste the chase of freedom. Today we live our lives and raise our families in a land that was purchased with the blood of young and old men who dead for a belief that they, their children, and future generations had the right to live free.
I am proud to be a citizen of a free America, however, our country has been standing for freedom for 235 years and yet as our nation grows older it struggles more and more against the darkness of sin which shackles so many people to its ungodly way of life. We, as christians, have the chance to stand in as a beacon of hope for freedom that our nation’s forefather’s fought for. A freedom that is only found in the one and only living God, Jesus Christ.
If you look up the word “freedom” you will come across an interesting definition for the word. It caught my attention instantly as I read the words, “plenty of rope.” This struck my feelings of freedom deep and even changed the way that I view freedom today. The cord which was struck deepest was the first lesson of freedom that had ever been taught to me. I was raised in a home that believed and leaned on God through many trials. As a young, Pentecostal boy I learned that God created man and gave him the freedom of choice. This lesson of freedom being the first taught to me in my life made it the first thought to come to mind when reading “plenty of rope.” God gave Adam and Eve the world. They had everything, including complete freedom which was given by God, even as much as the freedom of choice. God gave them the whole garden. They had plenty of rope to walk, run, live, eat, and to do what they pleased. They had so much freedom that in Genesis 1:28 God actually gave them dominion over the land and animals. We read in Genesis 2:19 that God allows Adam to name the animals. At this point man is free, he has plenty of rope. And the rope, which is his freedom, is held in the hands of God. There was only one stipulation for this freedom given by God. Obedience.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17
While in high school my mom brought home a surprise for the family. I still remember arriving home from work and walking into the living room and seeing this little puppy, which I thought at first to be a rat, running across the room from the chair to the couch. My mom and all my siblings where huddled around the room surrounding it. I believe it was my youngest sister Madison that gave the puppy her name, Cece. As she got older it became apparent that Cece loved being outside. We would put her on a leash that was very long and it wrapped around a tree in the middle of the yard. She could go anywhere in the yard that she wanted and not feel a tug around her neck except for when she would get close to the side walk and street. It was to keep her safe. We gave her “plenty of leash” to roam around the yard, dig holes, and even chase stuff. Yet, most of the time she would walk at the very edge where the leash would begin to tug on her neck, restraining her from going into areas that we deemed unsafe. Sometimes she would even try to get a running head start and lung at the very last second to try to break away from her leash. Cece may have felt restrained, restricted, possibly even trapped. My family and I put her on the leash many times. We weren’t trying to keep her from experiencing life. We knew what was beyond the leash. But all that the little puppy could see was a leash restricting her at the neck and anchored to the tree. I can almost see Adam and Eve feeling something like that. They had complete freedom. Plenty of space to roam around, lay in the sun to soak up the rays, and to do whatever they pleased, however, at some point it wasn’t enough. They wanted more. They wanted the rope, which seemed to have plenty of length before, to not be anchored down anymore. They were tired of the tug and finally, as a last ditch effort, they ran and lunged forward breaking away from the rope as they bite into the fruit of the forbidden tree. All of a sudden, the freedom they thought they were missing out on caused them to become scared and afraid.
My friend Kevin bought a home a few years back. Shortly after moving in he bought a small little puppy. One day Kevin’s little puppy broke away from his rope that seemed to be plenty at one time. Kevin couldn’t find him for hours. If I remember correctly, Kevin was out looking for the dog and remembered how much it had enjoyed playing in the lake across the street from the house. Kevin had taken him there a few days prior on a walk. As Kevin got closer to the lake his puppy was nowhere to be found. Finally reaching the water’s edge he looked out and could see his puppy in the water. Not swimming and playing as it had before, but floating lifelessly in the small current. The puppy didn’t know that the leash he had been wearing days prior was connected to Kevin and that each time he felt a tug it was Kevin keeping him from areas where the water was not safe. The puppy just wanted to not feel the tug and to be free.
Adam and Eve had a relationship with God. They walked through the garden with Him and spent time with Him. How many times did they pass that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and how many times did they feel a tug from God saying, hold on there Adam, wait a second Eve...remember, we don’t go there, we don't do that. Then one day, they go out on their own, and the “plenty of rope” was torn from its anchor.
I’ve seen run away dogs in the city. They run around scared of their unfamiliar surroundings as they are frantically looking for their owners. With the looks on their faces and fear in their eyes you can almost hear them crying out, “MASTER! MASTER! WHERE ARE YOU? SAVE ME! I WANT TO GO HOME!” You and I have seen the desperation of their owners as they hang signs around the city stating “MISSING” and a picture of the lost dog below. I wonder if the lost pet loses hope in finding his master after being disconnected for so long.
As I have stated before, I am proud to be an American. I live in a country that people from all around the world still dream of traveling to and seek freedom from their current circumstances in life. But what these freedom seekers don’t realize is that the very same “land of the free” which they are chasing after is trying to cut the rope of freedom that was anchored down generations ago by our nation’s founding father’s. In God was their trust, and God was set as our nation’s anchor. Today, God is not trusted in the lives of many Americans. Webster’s “plenty of rope” definition may not come out and say that the rope has an anchor. However, to me it is implied by the word plenty. There is more then enough, yet it does have a limit. The men who built the foundations of America and those that signed the Declaration of Independence knew that freedom came with a cost and with limits. They understood that laws given by God would keep this country from repeating the torment of Great Britain. Today our country is trying to strip God away from our foundations and even our laws. It even seems that with each passing year our country is trying to cut God and our freedom of religion away from us. How long can our nation stand free without the rope that holds to an anchor? As Christians, we have a relationship with God and he is our anchor through life’s storms, holding us in place. That relationship that we have does have its limits and will only allow us to go so far. This freedom cutting isn’t just happing to our nation. Whether we realize it or not, the rope of freedom is being cut worldwide as even religion raises it’s sharp blade to the strained and highly tensioned rope. Every generation picks and chooses which strings that make the rope are important to keep or not. At times it seems that they are carelessly cutting away with no implication of what may come. Eventually we will come down to just one strand that is being pulled so tight that no one may even need to cut it because it will just snap and break under pressure destroying all that lay in its path. Just as Adam and Eve’s freedom came with limitations so does ours. As the children of God we have been called out to be separate from this world and to live a life that does not take part in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” -1 Peter 1:14-16
Sadly, it is true that many religious groups are cutting more strands of the freedom rope then that of the rope which weighs them down to the anchor of sin. When a person falls overboard wouldn’t they want a life preserver thrown to them that is tied to the ship, or at least in the hands of one who is on the ship? Are we looking to be a church, a nation, that would rather be a floating lifesaver who’s rope has been disconnect from its ship and those that seek us for salvation find that we too are disconnected? God came in the flesh and died on a cross to mend a disconnected relationship with his creation. In the shedding of his blood we have found an eternal freedom. But, we can lose out on this freedom if we cut ourselves from the holy life style which is today’s stipulation for freedom in God. As a free nation under God we can not conform to what we may think this world may expect of us. The same must be said for Christians. We cannot conform to the lifestyles that our nation may want and still remain as the children of God. We are separate because that is the amount of rope that our anchor allows. Anymore would be too much and we would have no need to be called out of sin because we would be able to walk right back into it without any tug or restraint from a rope and anchor. Once we realize that the rope is our freedom then maybe we can start to enjoy the area of safety which it provides.
I know not what course my nation may take, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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