What a privilege we have to worship God freely, to gather in his name, to study Scripture together, and to order our lives in obedience to his commands! The freedom we have is truly a rarity as one looks back through human history. May the Lord help us never to take it for granted! Many men and women gave their lives to establish our independence, and still more have dedicated their lives to securing our freedom! We thank God for them! And yet even as we do so, we also recognize that Scripture is clear, it is God who has established the times and boundaries of nations throughout history. They flourish by his grace and are brought low by his wrath. While there has never been another USA, and we are proud to call her home, there is yet another perspective that I urge you to keep in mind as well. Consider the final verses of 1 Peter. Why does Peter refer to Rome – where he is writing this letter from – as Babylon? And how does this characterization relate to us who are believers and citizens of the heavenly kingdom?
