Remember the Blood Shed for our Independence
It is easy to forget the blood that was shed for our independence on the 4th of July. The summer starts off with a bang as we celebrate with picnics, parades, and fireworks. In all the fun of celebrating, it’s easy to forget how this holiday started.
I love the 4th of July!
As wars and fighting go on in other parts of the world, it’s sobering to think that women and children are being separated from the men in their families.
Let’s keep our hearts on others who are suffering and pray for them as we hang on to what little freedom we have left. We need to have thankful hearts for the liberty our country has enjoyed for so many years.
Let’s remember the blood that was shed on Independence Day!
Since our oldest was three months old, we have gone to visit my Uncle and Aunt on the lake for the day with my cousins and all of our kids.
After an amazing picnic, the kids played on the beach while boats sped by on the lake. Then it was the town parade, followed by the Word of Life Collegians’ concert at the town beach with an awesome display of fireworks afterward.
It never disappointed!!
The food, fellowship, and excitement were the best, year after year!
Have We Forgotten the 4th
Over the years many of the holidays have lost their meaning and Independence Day is one of them.
Everyone is thinking of red, white, and blue for the clothing they wear and for the paper plates and decorations at the picnic.
Pinterest is full of patriotic colors when you search for ideas!
Do we remember that blood was shed so we could be free?
Do you realize that the colors on our flag were chosen because of the blood that was shed?
Our Independence was paid for in Blood
But have we forgotten the battles that were fought in the Revolutionary War to bring about the freedom we enjoy throughout the year in the United States?
Our independence was paid for in blood.
In case you don’t know . . . It is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 (this is why we celebrate it on the fourth of July) by the Continental Congress declaring the thirteen American colonies as a new nation, and that we would no longer be part of the British Empire.
The last battle of the Revolutionary War was the Battle of Yorktown where Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia.
It was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by British peer and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. (Wikipedia)
Unless you are a history buff, you would have forgotten all that, as I did!
It’s fun to have the freedom to travel and pack in order to get together with family and friends.
In some countries, people are restricted from enjoying the liberties that they would love to have.
Jesus Paid for Our Independence in Blood
Jesus Christ paid for our freedom through His shed blood on the cross. Even though we already have freedom in Christ, we must fight on our knees for it because Satan wants to steal it from us!
Instead of being free in Christ, we can be held captive like when Daniel was with the Israelites in Babylon. (Daniel 1)
You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. (1 Corinthians 7:23)
Jesus paid for you with his very own blood. He gave enough blood that He died!
We are failures without Jesus.
I know that goes against everything you see and hear about having ‘greatness within you’ but it is true.
We are totally nothing without Christ dying for us and shedding His blood in order that we might be saved!
You are Freed to Live as God’s Child
When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4-7)
It is so exciting to be able to live as an adopted child of God!
We adopted three of our seven children and it is a picture of how God is offering us the opportunity to be part of His family.
We have to accept His gift of eternal life through the blood Jesus shed when He died on the cross for our sins.
It is such a privilege to have our independence here in the United States and that creates a picture of the freedom we have in Christ.
We must appreciate and treasure it and never allow anything to derail us from growing closer to Jesus.
The price for our independence as an American and as Christians was paid for in blood.
We are Freed to Live for Christ
Christ shed His blood for us to give us a life purpose of living for Him.
Life is meaningless if we live just for ourselves.
So, as you enjoy the 4th of July this year, remember that it is because many men cared enough about freedom to die in the battles fought over 200 years ago in the Revolutionary War.
Your independence was paid for in blood.
And while you are enjoying the picnics, parades, and fireworks this year, remember while you celebrate that your independence, it comes with a high price.
As you are around people who do not know Jesus and have also forgotten that there was a war fought for our freedom . . . remember you might be the closest they come to Jesus because Christ lives in you!
What is the price of your liberty?
The price is blood!
I hope you have a wonderful Independence Day this year! What is the most precious thing that you treasure about your freedom?
Get the Love Printable Pack to tie your marriage knot tighter.
Let the words of scripture wash over your soul
and fill you with confidence in God’s love for you.
