Monday, May 31, 2021
The Gift of Freedom
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. John 8:36
This past year….
This time last year most of us were not feeling free. Most of us were quarantined at home with our families, unable to be with extended family and friends, and unable to go to school or church. We had to connect over technology, and thankfully we could at least have that connection. We lost a lot of things in 2020 that we took for granted, and I believe most of us have a different perspective now.
Things are “getting back to normal,” but we have this knowledge and experience of losing some freedoms, although temporarily. We are aware that it can happen. It is true that sometimes we don’t recognize the value of something until we don’t have it anymore. Because the men and women fought so long ago for the freedoms we enjoy, most of us have enjoyed a lifetime of these freedoms having never been threatened until the Pandemic. I hope we all will look differently at the sacrifices made in the past, present, and in the future for our freedom and not take it for granted. They sacrificed their own freedom and their lives for our freedom. This is the day set aside for us to remember and honor their sacrifice.
When we have freedom, we have peace, and both come at a high price. Just as men and women have fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, another has given His life for a different kind of freedom for us. Jesus' shed blood bought our freedom - freedom from sin, death and eternal separation from God. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 So many Christians "accept" this gift, but never totally unwrap the gift, because they never live in the freedom they have been given. They either live in the shame and guilt of past sins, or they continually run back to the sin they have been freed from. When we don't accept His gift and let it transform us, His sacrifice is in vain. It is like He handed us a gift and we gave it back and said no thank you. If you took a very special gift to a party for a good friend and they opened it but didn't't take it all out of the bag, and just left the bag sitting there, never acknowledging the rest of the gift, you might be upset. If you were being held hostage in a locked room, and someone rescued you, would you stay in the room with door wide open?
Jesus' shed blood has bought our freedom so that we do not have to live in the bondage of sin anymore. We can have abundant life, free from chains, shame, or the weight that comes with sin. We are no longer captive or in debt for the sins we have committed. When we accept His gift of salvation, that debt is wiped away, paid for by His blood. We have Christ, and that means we have eternal life, forgiven completely, totally, and eternally. Being freed from sin allows us to live in what Christ has freed us to - to live and to thrive in a relationship with Him and living in His purpose for your life.
Remember all the sacrifices for your freedom - your American freedoms and your freedom in salvation and eternal life. Unwrap the whole gift and enjoy living in this freedom every day.
