Summer is totally here! Hot seems to be the weather word these days. Some real rain would be much appreciated, and the answer to many prayers. We spent a couple of days at our Rock County place early in the week. It was almost too hot to go outside and play with the new tractor. Maybe I should have spent the extra bucks for one with a cab and AC?
We will celebrate the birthday of our country on Wednesday. The emphasis will probably be on liberty and freedom. Those two words identify part of what makes America great. Almost daily, we are reminded how easily these can be lost, if we don’t remain vigilant. In fact, in light of recent news stories, we may have just lost some of our liberty and freedom.
The Bible speaks of freedom and liberty. To be liberated, according to the dictionary is to be “set free, as from oppression, confinement, or foreign control.”
Freedom goes hand-in-hand with liberty. Here are two definitions of freedom: 1. “The ability to exercise choice; free will.” 2. “The right of enjoying all the privileges of membership or citizenship.”
Jesus said, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The truth he speaks of here is the truth of the gospel. The good news that Jesus Christ came to die in our place and set us free, or liberate us, from the bondage of sin.
We who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross, then, are not enslaved to sin and guilt, but are free to live as citizens of heaven, and followers of Christ. And, as one Bible teacher has said, we are free to do as we please, as long as we do it within the framework of God’s will.
So, as you celebrate America this week, remember that as Christians, we have liberty and freedom in Christ, and these are promises of God. He is not a politician and He does not fail to keep his promises.
Celebrating!
Pastor Jerry
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