The Price
Amos 8:11-12 - Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander
from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they
shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall
not find it.
I want to recall a time when a heavy price
was paid for a translation of our Bible.
William Tyndale, a 16th century Englishman,
translated the Bible into English while living in Germany.
Finally in 1525, he was able to publish a New Testament in
English. But the church authorities at the time were not
pleased and they angrily sought to destroy Tyndale and his
translation. Finally, he was caught and brought back to
England where he was burned at the stake.
As he was dying, he uttered these words:
"Lord open the eyes of the King of England." His
prayer became a prophecy, as it was the King of England,
King James, who finally did publish the entire Bible in
English about a hundred years later.
Our English Bible translations became a
reality through William Tyndale’s heroic sacrifice and
bravery, ultimately at the price of his lifeblood. This
Independence day, don’t let your Bible sit on the shelf
gathering dust. Considering the cost that was paid so you
could read it in your native tongue, let’s all take full
advantage of this precious gift.
The freedom that we so enjoy on this day is
only a taste of the real freedom we have in The Messiah; the
promise of eternal forgiveness and freedom from sin. The
cost of that freedom was the precious blood of the savior
Jesus. William Tyndale offered his life so we could read
about this spiritual freedom in our own language. As we
celebrate our earthly freedom on Independence Day, let’s
not forget to also give thanks for our eternal liberty that
we find in our Lord.
Father, we thank you for that freedom that comes in your
Salvation… We ask that you guide those still seeking that
freedom to you, Lord. We ask that you bring an end to the
famine in the land… that those who refuse to hear will
have their hearts opened to your love and grace.
-Pastor
Chris
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