Baked beans, paper plates, sweet tea, and napkins. These were some of the items that were on my grocery list as I shopped for a 4th of July celebration. I’m sure many of you are doing the same. Making plans to hang out with friends and family, grill out your favorite meat, eat your favorite homemade ice cream (Snickers here I come!), and watch fireworks, all to celebrate the freedom of our great nation-America. My heart is truly grateful for the men and women who have served and are serving to keep our nation free. My arms are filled with goose bumps and my eyes watering with tears just thinking about the sacrifice the soldiers and their families have paid in order for me to live in a free country! I will always be forever grateful for the privilege to live in the United States; to call this my earthly home is a blessing. But on this particular 4th of July, my mind and heart are reminded of a greater freedom we have, a freedom that also came with a sacrifice; one in which will carry me into eternity.
“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” Galatians 5:1 (NLT)
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Mike Pohlman, pastor of a church in Washington wrote an article in 2009 regarding this freedom. I enjoyed reading his words on freedom in Christ and wanted to share with you.
Another Declaration of Independence: Freedom in Christ
So today as I celebrate with family, friends, hamburgers, and fireworks, my prayer for myself and all of us is to think about the questions that Mike asks, “What or who are we trusting in today?” Is there someone around you today that doesn’t know of the freedom in Christ that you can share the ultimate Independence Day story with? Let’s all remember that our national freedom is precious, but our freedom in Christ is of infinite worth.
