THE PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE
By Pastor Jim Jarman

I want to take a moment and ask you a simple question. Have you ever wondered about what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Let's take a strong look at a few true facts of the price of Independence.
Did You Know???

Five signers were captured by the British Army and pronounced as traitors, and were tortured brutally before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned to the ground.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured and tortured.

Nine of the 56 men fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

These patriots signed, pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; they were men of great wealth and the where very well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would cost them every thing, even their lives if they were captured by the British Army.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a very wealthy trader, saw all of his ships "blasted" to the bottom of the sea by the British Navy. He then sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British, to the point that he was forced to move his family constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. In the end he lived in total poverty.

Rebel soldiers and vandals looted the homes and properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

During the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. His home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The British Army jailed his wife as a traitor, and she died a few months later.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were burnt to the ground. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children gone. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

These are some of the stories and sacrifices made in the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were men of Godly character, wealth and well educated. They had security, but they valued liberty and future more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. Our US history books never told us a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought the British imposed government, for the right to govern our own country!

Unfortunately, many Americans take these liberties for granted -- but we shouldn't. Please take a few moments (at least) to remember the price paid for our freedom. Publicly and privately remember the patriots who gave so much, for you and me.

Let's always remember that, FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE!!!

Let's never forget there's a lot more to the 4th of July holiday than fireworks, picnics, and games. At least one day a year, let's show our true patriotism for, this great country that we live in, the great United States of America. And thank all of our mighty men and women in our great military for the price that they and their families are paying today, that we can live and worship in a land of freedom.

No matter what the President or any other political leader may say, no matter what any other country or religion may think or say. We, the United States of America are still One Nation under the true and living God, the Great I Am that is recorded about in the BIBLE.
Jesus paid the greatest price of all over two-thousand years ago. He paid the ultimate price for all of mankind. He gave us our Independence from death, hell and the grave. He gave us our Independence from sin, sickness and disease. We have total freedom in Him as our Lord and Savior.
So let's celebrate the freedoms that we have here in the great United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. But even more let's celebrate Jesus and the price that He paid to liberate us from this world.
Hey, Joyce and I sure love you, we believe in you and we call you blessed.

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Our mission at Agape Life Family Church is to take back the family, evangelize the lost and awaken the saved so they can live empowered lives by the Word of God and through the power of the great Holy Spirit. At Agape Life Family Church we're making a difference for the Kingdom of God by preaching, teaching and training believers how to study and grab hold of God's Word, and how to walk by faith and not by sight. At Agape Life Family Church we're reaching our community one heart at a time.
ALFC, we're more than a church, we're family!!!