Something to think about…
We had a great time celebrating Independence Day with our family. Of course, watching fireworks is one of the highlights for our kids. It reminds me of the time that our oldest son first persuaded me to buy some fireworks for them. He was so excited as we pulled up to the stand because the sign said, “Buy One Get One Free!” Ephraim believed that we got a great deal because for every firework we bought, we got one free. It became one of those “teachable moments” as I attempted to enlighten him to the whole concept of advertising.
I believe that there is a desire deep within the human heart to be free. That is why I think we are drawn to anything labeled “free”, which is why the word is used so often in advertising. However, it is also the desire that inspired 56 men to sign a document drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 declaring our independence as a free nation. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The most famous words of that powerful document are known by most Americans: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…” Jefferson goes on to declare that the United Colonies are Free and Independent States and are absolved of all allegiances to the British Crown, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Freedom is not free. It is so valuable these men were willing to give up their fortunes, their lives, everything they had to secure freedom for themselves, their families and all who would call the United States their home. We were not created to be controlled. We were not created to live in bondage. I believe that we were created to be free. That desire within can drive us to do great things. And yet, the freedom that we ultimately seek, true freedom, spiritual freedom, can only be found as we lay down our life to follow Christ.
Paul articulates it so clearly in Romans 8: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ~ Romans 8:1-4
As we live in the Spirit of Christ, we experience genuine freedom. Freedom from condemnation, freedom from fear, freedom from worry, freedom from others expectations, freedom from idols, freedom from the power of sin and death – as Jesus tells us, “Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed.” May we experience the deeper freedom that God offers us and live as free people today.