Friday, June 27, 2008
Let Freedom Ring
Independence Day is a great American celebration. Cookouts, fairs, concerts and fireworks help us express our great appreciation for the freedom we enjoy. But, amazingly, many Americans don’t know many of the facts about America’s independence. A famous media personality once interviewed a family of five, asking each of them from whom America won its independence. Neither the young boy nor his parents could answer the question. The grandfather correctly answered, “The British.” I am wondering how they would answer an even more basic question: “Are you free?” How would you answer that question?
One definition of the word freedom is: “exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.” (Dictionary.com) We live in a free country, and yet so many Americans are bound by forces like painful memories, bad habits, unhealthy lifestyles, deep hurts and detrimental mindsets. Still others are not free due to external pressures such as: financial stress, peer pressure, performance issues, etc. We are a free country, but are we a free people?
I have had the privilege of watching hundreds of people discover a whole new, free life in the most unexpected place – a tank of water. I’ve watched their countenance changed in a moment’s time. Often they have made statements like: “I feel so much lighter; like a heavy load was taken off my shoulders.” How did they find this freedom? They repented and were baptized, in Jesus name. Yep – they found freedom by being dunked under water. They went into the water bound and came up free. I can’t explain it scientifically, but I have been witness to it hundreds of times. I’ve seen hundreds of miserable people change their lives simply by appropriating God’s plan for being set free. (See Acts 2:38).
Obviously, the key was not in that these people got wet. The key was in that they chose to place their lives in God’s hands. “…the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 3:22) Once these people believed in Christ they obeyed His command to be baptized so their sins could be washed away. This act of obedience freed God to do an incomprehensible work in their hearts and minds. The power of sin was broken. Usually, God was then able to fill them with His Spirit and empower them to live life on a higher plain. Their trust and obedience made them free.
My prayer is that thousands more experience this ultimate freedom. This is the kind that makes the eternal soul free. This is the kind of freedom that makes a person forever-free! Free from hatred. Free from addictions. Free from self-deception. Free from all the prisons created by sin. St. Paul said it this way:. “…there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus… the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. (Romans 8:1 NLT) That is true freedom!
I say, “let freedom ring!” That familiar phrase is found in the patriotic song My Country Tis of Thee. It is also the name of a song, the name of a book, and the name of a political organization. But, as we approach another independence day, I offer it as a three-word prayer – Let freedom ring! Let freedom ring in your life – choose to be forever free.
One definition of the word freedom is: “exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.” (Dictionary.com) We live in a free country, and yet so many Americans are bound by forces like painful memories, bad habits, unhealthy lifestyles, deep hurts and detrimental mindsets. Still others are not free due to external pressures such as: financial stress, peer pressure, performance issues, etc. We are a free country, but are we a free people?
I have had the privilege of watching hundreds of people discover a whole new, free life in the most unexpected place – a tank of water. I’ve watched their countenance changed in a moment’s time. Often they have made statements like: “I feel so much lighter; like a heavy load was taken off my shoulders.” How did they find this freedom? They repented and were baptized, in Jesus name. Yep – they found freedom by being dunked under water. They went into the water bound and came up free. I can’t explain it scientifically, but I have been witness to it hundreds of times. I’ve seen hundreds of miserable people change their lives simply by appropriating God’s plan for being set free. (See Acts 2:38).
Obviously, the key was not in that these people got wet. The key was in that they chose to place their lives in God’s hands. “…the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 3:22) Once these people believed in Christ they obeyed His command to be baptized so their sins could be washed away. This act of obedience freed God to do an incomprehensible work in their hearts and minds. The power of sin was broken. Usually, God was then able to fill them with His Spirit and empower them to live life on a higher plain. Their trust and obedience made them free.
My prayer is that thousands more experience this ultimate freedom. This is the kind that makes the eternal soul free. This is the kind of freedom that makes a person forever-free! Free from hatred. Free from addictions. Free from self-deception. Free from all the prisons created by sin. St. Paul said it this way:. “…there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus… the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. (Romans 8:1 NLT) That is true freedom!
I say, “let freedom ring!” That familiar phrase is found in the patriotic song My Country Tis of Thee. It is also the name of a song, the name of a book, and the name of a political organization. But, as we approach another independence day, I offer it as a three-word prayer – Let freedom ring! Let freedom ring in your life – choose to be forever free.
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