Freedom!

"And you, dear brothers and sisters,

are children of the promise,

just like Isaac. . .

So, dear brothers and sisters, 

we are not children of the slave woman;

we are children of the free woman.

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 4:28,31; 5:1 NLT

Today is a day set aside in America to celebrate freedom.  Families and friends will gather 'round the picnic table, feasting on BBQ, potato salad and watermelon while children frolic nearby.  Firework displays cap off the evening as the pyrotechnics adorn the night sky with the colors of liberty.  Americans all across the land will ponder the sacrifices made by brave men and women who stood against oppression and gave birth to a new kind of government where people enjoy rights and can live under the banner of independence.

While those in the U.S. focus on what our founding fathers did nearly 240 years ago to light the fire of freedom that burns within the breast of mankind, those in Christ can celebrate a different kind of freedom.

When Jesus died on the cross, taking my punishment upon Himself, I gained liberty from the heavy burden of the law given to Moses.  Instead of these statutes and commandments weighing me down in my failure, they illustrate my desperate need for a Savior.  I can't stick to them; my sin nature is just too dominant!  (Romans 3:23)

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ my Lord who freed me from the law of sin and death! (Romans 7:21-25)

So today I celebrate this liberty:

Freedom from the guilt of sin that can weigh me down because the blood of Jesus makes me clean!

Freedom from the burden of being good enough to meet God's standard because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so I can be right with God.

Freedom from the stain of sin because Jesus reconciled my relationship with my Father so I can freely enter into His presence.

Yes, today is Independence Day!  Hallelujah, I am free in Christ!