So go the lyrics of the hymn, My Country 'Tis of Thee, which served as the de facto national anthem of the United States before the adoption of The Star-Spangled Banner as the official anthem.
Years ago our family lived in Richmond Virginia. The church where I served as an associate pastor was located on Monument Avenue, so named because every few blocks there is a statue that has been erected in honor of an American hero. One such hero is Patrick Henry, a living symbol of America's struggle for liberty, who in March of 1775 uttered those time-honored words, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."
For many Americans, this is exactly what they got. Thousands of common people possessing uncommon valor sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. On this 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we commemorate the 2,402 Americans who lost their lives on that "day of infamy." Like so many other soldiers who have fought for our freedom, including those who are fighting the war on terror today, countless Americans have sacrificed their lives so that their children and succeeding generations might live as free men.
This is the same reason that Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. "It was for freedom that Christ set us free" (Galatians 5:1). Yet it wasn't political freedom that Christ won for us, but spiritual freedom. Jesus himself declared, "If you abide in my word, they you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:31-32).
What are the practical implications of this? We don't have to guess, for Scripture tells us: "Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as slaves of God" (1 Peter 2:16). Here in America, one cannot be a free-man if he is a slave. But in the kingdom of God, the only way one can be truly free is to become a slave of Christ.
William Penn wrote, “Men must be governed by God, or they will be ruled by tyrants.” Sin is the cruelest of tyrants. How wonderful it is to know, experience, and declare the Good News of Christmas: "She will bear a Son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).