Live as free people, but don’t hide behind your freedom when you do evil. Instead, use your freedom to serve God.
1 Peter 2:16 (GW)
‘Freedom is one of our country’s most highly valued virtues, but all freedom comes with a price. Our American freedom was bought with the blood of thousands of soldiers. In this beautiful “Land of the Free’, we enjoy our freedom of speech and our freedom to worship. We even have the freedom to choose our own paths in life, to do whatever we want as long as it is within the law, but we are still obligated to obey that law. Without it there would be chaos, and wherever there is chaos, there is no peace.
While we all enjoy the celebrations each year, as we fill up at barbecues and fireworks light up the night sky, the freedom Jesus promises is very different than our American freedom. The freedom Jesus gives was bought with the shedding of His own blood on the cross. He came to proclaim freedom (Luke 4:18) and to set us free (John 8:36), but the high price He paid was not to give us permission to do whatever we want. Instead, Jesus frees us to do what we ought to do. In freeing us from the power of sin, He gives us the opportunity for a personal, heart-transforming relationship with Him. He gives us the power to be shaped into the people He dreamed up, for the purposes He has always had planned, so that we can become exactly who He created us to be.
True freedom doesn’t come with fireworks, and it doesn’t include hot dogs or potato salad. True freedom doesn’t even come through independence—it comes through complete dependence on Jesus. So today as you enjoy your special celebrations with family and friends, be sure to thank Jesus for the true freedom He gives. He paid the high price to set you free. Without Him in your heart, there would be only chaos, and wherever there is chaos, there is no peace. The light of Christ within you will help you to live your faith out loud and shine His light in beautiful ways into the darkness, which will be far more breathtaking than the greatest fireworks show in history. Ask Him daily to continue to transform you into the person He dreamed up, for the purposes He has always had planned, so you can become exactly the person He created you to be! You are loved!
“Now, with God’s help, I shall become myself.” ~Soren Kierkegaard