Halfway through 2019 already! This has been a busy, busy year and we are in a very busy season. Think about the language we sometimes use to describe our busyness: we talk of being “tied up”, unable to “get free”, of being “chained to our desks”. In many ways, we describe our lives as prisons. This is something worth thinking about as we approach the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day.
I have written and spoken before about the differences between freedom, liberty, license, etc. For example, we have been freed from sin, but we are not free to sin. More intriguing, though, is the language used by the New Testament writers to describe their relationship to Jesus and to their ministries. They speak of being prisoners and slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ, and of being without choice when it comes to preaching the Gospel. Is that freedom? When we look at the things that “imprison” us, like work, family responsibilities, taking meals to convalescents, caring for our brothers and sisters in the Lord, prayer meetings, usher meetings, Praise & Worship team rehearsals, preparing for and teaching class, setting up and tearing down from various functions, driving to camp, and a host of other things, we recognize, at the end of the day, that we do have a choice. We can ignore any or all of these things. We don’t, though. Not because we are constrained by law, but because we are constrained by conscience, and by the Spirit of God. We do these things because they are the right things to do, and we should thank God for the opportunity and FREEDOM to do them. Thank God we are free to meet for prayer, for worship, for Christian fellowship! Thank God we are free to work and earn! Thank God for our families, and for the brethren!
As we celebrate Independence Day, let us take the time to thank God for the many manifestations of freedom we experience on a daily basis. Of course we are also, as always, thankful for the men and women who have served and continue to serve this country in the military. The specific independence we memorialize on July 4th was won with the shed blood of patriots. But as stated in the Declaration of Independence, the liberty they fought for is a gift from our Creator.
The gifts God gives are good gifts, and are worth fighting for to secure. We do this daily by exercising our faith for the things God has promised. But don’t let your freedom in Christ be changed into something as cheap as license to do whatever you want. You have been freed for much more than that. You have been freed to become an agent of change, an ambassador for the kingdom! In a world imprisoned by sin and darkness, let us live the gospel and preach the gospel, and let freedom ring!
Blessings,
