Hear Me Out

Before you you get upset with me, listen to what I am saying. Hear me out. I think you will understand…and possibly agree.

We celebrate the freedoms earned by the deaths of those in service of their country, yet many never even take advantage of these very freedoms! We thank our current service men and women for their service, but too often we take for granted the freedoms they provide.

Let me ask you a question. Think for a minute before you answer this question. Be honest with yourself.

Would your life be dramatically changed if it was suddenly illegal to practice your faith?

What Would Change?

As you think about this question, consider the following questions. Would you suddenly have to stop witnessing to others or is that not something you do very often now? Would you be forced to stop reading your Bible every day or is that not really a habit of yours? What else in your life would have to dramatically change to comply with this new (hypothetical) law?

What about your business practices – would they have to change if exercising your faith became illegal? Do you currently leverage your business for ministry purposes? What about your business would have to change to comply with this new law?

I am sure some of you are thinking we are already seeing some signs of this change in our country. Maybe, but that is not my point. Others are saying they would simply refuse to comply with a law like this. I understand, but neither is that my point.

Freedom Of Faith

People have died to preserve our freedom to exercise our faith. Wives have given up husbands and husbands have given up wives. Children have given their parents and parents have given their children. All of this has happened so WE can continue to have the freedom to exercise our faith.

Yet, too often, we are not living out this freedom! We have the freedom to practice our faith in the marketplace, but many do not. We have the freedom to witness to others around us, but many do not. We have the very simple freedom of being able to own a Bible and read it whenever we want to…but still many do not.

I wonder how I would feel if I was one of the many who had died to provide these freedoms. If I was then given the opportunity to look around and see how those freedoms were being handled by Christians today, would I be proud of my sacrifice or frustrated by it? Would I be willing to go through it all again or would I wish I could have a do-over?

Maximize Your Freedom!

Maybe some of you think I have taken this too far. If so, I apologize. In NO WAY do I want to minimize the sacrifices of our soldiers. Instead, my desire is to light a fire under any Christians who are currently taking their freedoms for granted. I want to see a world where followers of Christ are living out their freedoms to the greatest extent allowed.

Personally, I think the greatest opportunity for seeing growth here is in the workplace. I believe Christian business owners and leaders need to step up and quit taking these freedoms so lightly. We celebrate Memorial Day and rightly so. Now let’s live out the freedoms that were paid for by the sacrifices of those we remember.

What freedom are you taking for granted?

What change do you need to make?

Are you ready to step up?

Photo by Leigh Prather/Shutterstock

Thank God For The Sacrifice

First, we need to thank God for the sacrifice of the men and women over the years that have served, fought, and died for our freedoms. We have so many freedoms that we take for granted every day. The majority of the world yearns for the freedoms we have. God has certainly blessed our nation.

Taking Freedoms For Granted?

This leads to my second thought. Assume for a minute that you live where you have none of these freedoms. Assume you have never had these freedoms, but you have been told all about them. You pray and pray for these freedoms, but nothing happens.

Now imagine that one day, you are given the freedoms you sought for so long. You are given the freedom to worship whenever and wherever you want. You are given the freedom to talk about your faith with others…at school, work, the grocery store, etc. You are no longer limited in how you exercise your faith in God. You are free!

What do you think you would do? Would you exercise this new-found freedom or would you remain quiet? Would you begin openly talking about your faith in the workplace or would you continue with sealed lips? Would you publicly acknowledge God and all He has done for you or would you keep all of that to yourself?

What Is Holding You Back?

Think about it. If you live in the US, you HAVE these freedoms right now. God has placed you in a nation that allows you (for now) to worship when and where you please. You can openly share your faith and you do not have to keep quiet about God’s role in your life!

So the question is this…are you exercising these freedoms or are you taking them for granted and virtually ignoring them?

Don’t rush on – stop and think about the answer to that question.

Our Responsibility

My final thought – this blog is currently read in 138 countries worldwide! In fact, one out of every four readers of this blog are from outside of the US. I do not know how many of those readers are limited in their freedoms either by law or by persecution or both. I do know that many of them would love to have the freedoms we take so lightly!

That being the case, I truly believe it is our responsibility to stop being so lazy or scared (or both) and start exercising these freedoms! Step up and take your faith into the workplace. Talk with someone about your faith and what God has done in your life. Move out of your comfort zone and trust God!

You will be glad you did and you will be stronger for it.