1 Peter 2:16, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. The King James Bible translates 1 Peter 2: 15-16 as, “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”
The first step to proclaiming freedom is to recognize God’s sovereignty over all things and praise the Lord for the freedoms we enjoy. Psalm 37: 3-4 says, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.”
This psalm was written by King David in his old age, (The Treasury of David) and was inspired by the Holy Spirit calming the minds of the people of the Lord as they are faced with everything that stands against the truths of God’s Word. King Solomon, the son of David, knew of the sovereignty of God and he was not ashamed to praise the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 6:4 we read of him saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with His hands fulfilled what He promised with His mouth to my father David…” King Solomon “…showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statues of his father David…” (1 Kings 3:3) When the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, Solomon responded with, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart…” (1 Kings 3:5-6)
Let the Holy Spirit probe your heart with these questions. Do you recognize God’s sovereignty and are you able to praise Him for the fulfilled promises found in His written Word? Are you hungry to know God’s written Word? Are you found righteous in Christ Jesus and upright in heart?
During a time of praising God and humble service, Solomon asked for a very special endowment. His prayer was, “…give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong…” (1 Kings 3:9) Solomon, king of Judah and Israel is known for being the king whose reign was peaceful. The people enjoyed freedom, and he had world wide fame because of the wisdom God had given him. (Who’s Who in the Bible; Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31)
The Founding Fathers of the United Sates of America knew that the fear of the Lord was needed before they could enjoy liberty. The Jefferson Memorial includes these words of Jefferson, “God who gave us life, gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.” (America’s Christian History)
Americans must have the same convictions as our early founding fathers. They must walk in a reverent fear of the Lord, and recognize that His justice cannot sleep forever. We need statesmen, who are hungry for a discerning heart to govern the citizens of the United States of America.
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