John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  A chaplain was speaking to a soldier on a cot in a hospital. “You have lost an arm in the great cause,” he said. “No,” said the soldier with a smile. “I didn’t lose it–I gave it.” In that same way, Jesus did not lose His life. He gave it purposefully.  Many have deemed America as a great cause.  Truly all gave some, and some gave all.  This happened that we might be free from tyranny.   Jesus gave His life that we might be free from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and someday the very presence of sin.  What have you given for the cause of Christ?  President Kennedy said,”Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”  The Church would benefit greatly from it’s people asking a similar question.   What can I do for my Lord and my church?   Eternity will reveal those who lived for themselves, verses those who lived for the Savior as well as others.  When it’s all said and done, may we have freely given those things that matter most.  Amen.  Pastor