“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” — John 8:36.
As our nation prepares to commemorate July 4th, the day when we celebrate our independence from Great Britain and honor the sacrifices of those who fought and died and lost everything in the battle for freedom, it’s an excellent time to declare our personal independence.
Personal independence? Yes, personal. God wants us—you and me as we are right now in this moment—to be free. He wants us to be free of sin and sorrow. He wants us to be free of prejudice and hate. He wants us to be free of trauma and guilt. He wants us to be free of greed and envy. He wants us to be free!
It’s hard to be free in this world. The media overwhelmingly portrays values that are destructive to our mental and spiritual health. We imitate what we see even though it erodes our morals and faith. Instead of choosing peace and love, we are choosing strife and drama.
The picture of today’s world seems to be grim, but Jesus Christ shows us a better way, a way to be truly free. It is both simple and hard: “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:31-32. These are the commandments of true freedom for our lives, our family, our friends, and our nation.
This Independence Day, choose the freedom of God’s mercy and grace and celebrate His love for all His children. Then we will be free indeed.
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