Privelege versus Right
The other day I was involved with my small group and we were in the middle of a discussion. We were discussing some of the pressures that Christians face around the world and also here in the United States. Now while there is no comparision between the two types of persecution, and I hestitanly use the word persecution when referring to Christians here in America.
The discussion covered varying topics, and quickly revovled around the struggles here in the United States as that was the experience of almost everyone in the room. Many of us never facing persecution as others do in other countries around the world for our faith. We talked about how it was the standard today that all faiths were protected today in the United States but Christianity. How it was okay that Christians could be made fun of and that was acceptable.
As the discussion began to evolve it quickly turned to things like we have the right to freedom, we have the right to this. And in America we do have all of these religious freedoms, and thank God for those blessings! But that got me to thinking about the difference between priveleges and rights.
Now I firmly believe that one day in America Christians will be openly persecuted like they are in a majority of countries around the world. But when that time comes and America turns away from the one true God and accepts the God of political correctness, Christians might have a wake up call.
In America we have freedoms, we have rights, and we have priveleges. But we have to remember where those freedoms, rights and privleges are coming from. Those things all come from the Contsitution, the Bill of Rights and the laws of this great country. And while this country is a blessing from God, and was created by those seeking freedoms to worship God by their choices, it is not a country that is guarnteed by God.
America is by far the best country in the entire world, and I love her. But I have to remind myself that the things that I have here, while given by God, are not guarnteed by God. Which means that at anytime they can be removed. I am not talking about God’s hand of protection here over the country. I am talking about his hand of protection over his disciplies, his children here in America. No where in the word of God does it state that we will have the right to free speech, the right of religous freedom, the right to gather and assemble, the right to worship God without the fear of punishment or persecution.
Here is a little seceret the Bible actually says the opposite. It tells us that the world will hate us, because it hated him first. If you think of America as a shield of protection against persecution, that shield is only as thick as a piece of paper. The paper that the laws are written on which give us that protection. It does not take much to destroy or change paper. And one day when that shield is gone, Christians need to watch that they don’t turn to God and say but yo gave us this freedom.
And he did give it to us, but he doesn’t guarntee it! It is a privelege and not a right! The only right that we have is to follow Him. And His life and death was not the American Dream! But all praises be to the Lamb that His life, and His Death were enough for my salvation!
Thank God now for the blessings that we have in America. But remember that they are only blessings, and such blessings are not guarntees for the disciplies of Christ.
