Let Freedom Ring!

This is a long holiday weekend for many. [It’s been an even longer ‘holiday’ for me, as I’ve been on a five-week hiatus from my ‘day job’ to pursue my writing.] This holiday is about celebrating America’s birthday—our Independence Day; our freedoms—life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. [The irony for me is that my ‘independence’ ends Wednesday. I go back to ‘real life’. But—that doesn’t mean my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness in Jesus ends.]

Do you realize this country was founded on Biblical values? I’m not looking for a debate regarding whether the founding fathers were Christians, or how many times the Declaration of Independence mentions a ‘Creator’, the display of the Ten Commandments to shape our laws, the fact that legislature and government didn’t count/work Sundays, etc. I’m talking about looking at the mere principle—the one thing America prides itself on, both sides of the political aisle spout, and what causes terrorist nations to hate us: Freedom. Do you ever think about how the Creator of the Universe, the One that spoke it into creation, gave us humans (created in His image) the choice to love Him? The One who can do anything, refuses to force us to love Him? He gives us free will—the power of choice. Adam and Eve had a choice in the garden—we have a choice now. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) Not to mention, Jesus came to save the world (John 3:17)—to break (free) our chains from the bondage of sin. (Romans 6:15-23)

And just as many (most) Americans take our freedom for granted in this nation, so do we Christians in Jesus. We allow our sins (we all have them) to keep us bound to this world. (Romans 12:2) We are to be showing others Who Jesus is, yet all we manage to do is show them that we fail at being Christ-like daily—not just in the things we do and say, but also in the things we don’t do and say… We are to be Jesus to the world, with our lives. (Ephesians 5:1-2). Everything that we have (our time, our tools, our gifts, our money) are to be used for His good—not our own. Jesus gave up His will for our Father’s—why would we think we are any different? (Matthew 26:39, John 4:34, 5:19, 6:38). We need to stop focusing on ourselves, and focus on God and others. (Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:30-31) This world needs Jesus—but it has you… you are responsible for showing them Who He Is. Being a Christian doesn’t just mean you get to sit back and receive His grace and do nothing else. It means you get out there and do—you show others Who Jesus Is. Galatians 5:13: You were not saved to sit; you were saved to serve. If Jesus gave up everything to come to this Earth to serve us, and we claim to be Christians, who are we to think we don’t have to follow His lead and reciprocate? (Matthew 20:27-28; Mark 10:45; Hebrews 9:14)

Yes—we are free to choose whether or not we believe (and want to follow) God… But, as a true believer in Christ, our choice is whether to believe Jesus was/is Who He claimed/s to be. Once we choose to follow Him, we accept not only our Salvation from Him, but also our duties. (Matthew 16:24-26, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23; John 12:26; James 2:17).

We should be spreading the ideals of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness—in Jesus—across the Earth…Let Freedom Ring!

Let Freedom Ring: Gaither Band