July 4th, 2012.
Today we celebrate our independence. We join together as family and friends to commemorate the birth of our great nation. As we gather around picnic tables and enjoy fireworks later this evening, we remember those who sacrificed to give us our freedom.
We celebrate. We commemorate. We remember.
We celebrate freedom. Freedom affords us many rights. The right to vote, to work, to educate, to play. We have the right to act or to abstain from action. Freedom allows us to do, say, think, and feel however we choose (within the confines of the law, of course). We have the right to worship, serve, and love God.
Today we celebrate.
Tomorrow we will take freedom for granted.
We will forget that freedom isn't free, nor will it ever be.
Not only do we do this as a nation, but we also do this as followers of Jesus. We forget that our freedom came with a price. That the freedom we have from sin, from evil, from hate, from lies, from death came in the form of a cross and a crown of thorns.
Galatians 5:1 reminds us, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Freedom is, according to Merriam-Webster, the liberation of slavery or restraint from the power of another. As believers, we are liberated - set free - from whatever it is that has held us captive for so long. Whatever it is, the chains have been broke, and we are FREE.
Today we celebrate freedom.
Tomorrow we will not forget.
We will remember the price that was paid for our freedom. We will remember the sacrifice that was made. We will live our lives to continue to make this world a better place for future generations. We will no longer be held captive as slaves to the things of the world or the sins that so easily entangle.
"If the Son has set you free, you will be free indeed!" John 8:36
When tomorrow comes, will you remember that you have been set free?
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