Seth Udinski, FISM News
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In the latest chapter of the dramatic win for religious freedom that we have watched closely at FISM News, once-and-future Bremerton High School football coach Joe Kennedy will return to the gridiron following his religious freedom win in the United States Supreme Court.
Fox News reported yesterday that the court has ordered the Washington state school district to reinstate Coach Kennedy, who is a committed Christian, by no later than March 2023.
Kennedy was fired in 2015 from his duties for exercising his religious freedom and praying with his players on the field after football games. Kennedy appealed his case, which went all the way to Washington, D.C. The high court ruled in favor of Coach Kennedy, arguing the school district could not constitutionally infringe upon his right to religious liberty.
As previously reported by FISM News, SCOTUS ruled 6-3 in favor of Kennedy, along party lines.
Although the bulk of the case is complete, Coach Kennedy still has the opportunity to gain reparations for his legal fees.
Author’s Biblical Analysis:
This case has the potential to go down in history books as a landmark win for religious liberty in an age where religious freedom had been under ferocious attack in America.
Christians have every reason to be encouraged and excited with this report, as a man who remained faithful to God is now being rewarded for his faithfulness.
The lesson for Christians is this: God never forgets the faithfulness of His people.
Now we must be very careful to make a distinction. God always blesses His people’s faithfulness, but He does not always do it in our timing or in the way we would perhaps choose. God does as God pleases.
This means that God’s blessing may come in this life, or they may come in the next. The blessing may be material, it may be relational, or it may simply be eternal. More often than not, the blessings God promises are waiting for us in eternity. We must never fall into the prosperity gospel trap of believing that God owes us exactly what we want when we are faithful to Him. Thankfully, God does not bend to our will!
Still, it is good for Christians to remember and be encouraged by the fact that God always remembers His people’s faithfulness under fire, and He will always bless them for it. God is well-pleased with us when we, imperfect as we are, stand strong under fire.
A great example for us in scripture is the life of Job. Job was a righteous man who went through intense tribulation, not because of any wickedness but actually because of his faith. At the end of his journey, when God answers the criticism of both Job and his friends, God finds Job faithful and blesses him mightily with far more than he had before his trial.
Hopefully, Coach Kennedy’s testimony of faithfulness will inspire other Christians to stand strong in an increasingly wicked and perverse generation. Praise God that He takes delight in the obedience of His people!
“Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning…” — Job 42:12