There needs to be something we are bound with. The 4th of July is our countries 241st celebration of our freedom. Yet, here we are not really free at all. We think we are because we compare ourselves to the rest of the world where freedom goes from conditional to non-existent. In order to be a free Christian there must be acknowledgment of our captivity. Otherwise we don't really know what we are enslaved with. The prisons we construct in our lives is testimony that we aren't really free at all. The Bible states that we are enslaved with the sins in our lives as well as the world that we live in. Yet, we are called to be free in Christ who paid the ultimate penalty for our freedom. The only way to be free is to be dead to self and alive in Christ. This is completely contrary to how the world views freedom. In the world men, women and children find "freedom" in doing, thinking and saying whatever they like with no thought of consequences. For the most part Christians keep one foot in the world and the other in Christ. This is a losing situation. The Bible tells us that we cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon being the world. So, who are we serving when we engage the ways of the world? Does doing so make us feel free?
Growing up I never got the feeling of freedom from anyone around me. Yes, even the Christians would live lives entangled with the world. Everywhere I turned people were enslaved or in prison of their own making. It wasn't until I began to see my situation from God's point of view that I learned how deep my dungeon was! Whether it's family (in my case) that has taught you to stay in prison, or the world around you, you aren't free. Living with my families definition of freedom only led me deeper into prison. I left home and carried my prison with me. The sense of obligation from them and the world left me feeling hopeless. It seemed that everyone thought they knew what was best for me and there was the constant banter that I needed to be someone I wasn't. That's not freedom. Everyone else's definition of freedom was just that; a definition of THEIR freedom. Switching from one occupation to another with no expectation of change is a prison in and of itself. Schooling was a step towards freedom within me. Beginning with Discipleship Training with Youth With A Mission, I began to explore the depths of what truly being free in Christ meant. That certainly didn't match what the world was teaching me.
Freedom for the Christian remains a choice to be exercised daily. We are free to love when we accept the love of God. We are free to bless when we receive the blessings of God. We are free to share the Gospel when we have received that Gospel ourselves. Today, we are free to celebrate our countries freedom and because of that we can celebrate our personal freedom from sin as well. There are many countries where the freedom to love Jesus is not even a possibility. Yet, Christ breaks though the bondage and people become free even in countries that consider them slaves. Others have found freedom in Christ through their martyrdom. Just as men and women died to make this country free, there have been Christians who have done the same. The biggest difference today is found in who we are free for. The United States sets a standard of freedom unlike any other country in the world. The Christian is set in the greatest freedom movement anywhere in history and that freedom continues on forever. It's right to celebrate the 4th of July and it's right to be free in Christ every day. Remember that it's always your choice.
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