Hi Friends - Last week I posted some of my headache with the lackluster experience I've had with a pool on Facebook. I mentioned that I knew there was a blog post in there somewhere and a lesson to be learned -- I'm working on that one...but today and for this week, I decided to post another writing from my friend Theresa Bryant regarding our freedom...a great reminder for all of us both at home and abroad...God bless you as you celebrate this week...God Bless America!!
"FREEDOM ISN'T FREE"
In 1776, at a young age, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence which has been described as a magnificent and revolutionary document. It was a 28-count indictment against King George in which the colonists declared that they were a free country, that they could make decisions on their own, that they could select their own leaders, and that they were no longer to be subjected to a class status as defined by the king. One of the most quoted parts of this document is “Behold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” This was a totally foreign concept to most people in the world at that time. This freedom was not realized until after winning the Revolutionary War with the Kingdom of Great Britain (now known as the United Kingdom) in which many lives were lost. The forces fighting for our freedom were described as “rag-tag colonists,” but they were fighting for a way of life and prevailed against the British soldiers who were fighting for a king.
As you celebrate our freedom as a country from Great Britain, perhaps you will recall the phrase “Freedom isn’t free.” This phrase has been used in poems, songs, speeches and commercials to explain the fact that freedom often comes at a very heavy cost.
Our salvation, on the other hand, is totally free to us. However, it came at the ultimate price for one life – that of Jesus Christ. He bore the sins of everyone and endured a tortuous death in order that we might be free from our sins if we only accept him and ask him to be the ruler of our lives. The following are some Bible verses that speak of this freedom.
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. (Galatians 5:1)
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13)
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)
On Friday, most Americans will celebrate the 4th of July in some way with family and friends. Perhaps you will attend a local parade or a barbeque or a patriotic program complete with fireworks or perhaps you will visit the grave of a veteran. Whatever you do, may you reflect not only on the price paid for our freedom as a country, but also reflect on the ultimate price paid for our salvation which is the greatest free gift we could ever receive.
