Freedom

There is a quote that I have always liked by German playwright and poet Johann Goethe. He is quoted as saying, "None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free". I believe that he is correct and we see it played out in front of us in many ways everyday. We see it in the political realm in places like Iraq and Afghanistan when the people there fight against our troops because they believe the oppression they have lived under their whole lives is freedom. We see it in the physical realm when we see our friends, family members and co-workers turning to alcohol and drugs to be "free" from their problems. We know that end the end these problems are only magnified by these substances, but try explaining that to an addict in the moment. Far more pervasive and destructive than political or physical enslavement however is spiritual enslavement. I would say that we all know what this is like from our own personal experience. I know that at one point in my life I thought I was free; free to be my own man, make my own decisions and do whatever I wanted. One day however a light broke into my life and exposed the freedom I thought I had for what it was; a prison cell. I was enslaved to my own selfish desires, free to do only evil and go only as far as the bars would let me. Jesus Christ changed all that however, by freeing me from my sin and ultimately from myself.

That is exactly the point that the Apostle Paul is talking about in the book of Galatians. He has been preaching freedom for 4 chapters until he finally gets to chapter 5 verse one where he says that, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free"! Jesus set us free so we can have freedom! To often I am afraid that the world looks at the church and thinks that we are a people in bondage. I am afraid they get that impression because we give it to them. We spend most of our time on the "I cant's". I cant do that I am a Christian. I can't go there I am a Christian. I can't be around those people, I am a Christian. Don't get me wrong, we all need to work on our behavior and Holiness is something we should all strive for. The reality is though that if we lived our life taking advantage of the freedom that Jesus offers, being Holy would come easier. We (Christians) are the only people on this planet who are truly free. We should love each other in ways the world can't understand. We should serve each other in ways the world finds bizarre. We should smile so much that people think we are crazy. Then when they ask why, we can tell them, my joy comes from FREEDOM! This world is enslaved even though they don't know it. Let us spend our time this July 4th not only remembering those brave men and women who died for us to give us political freedom, but remembering our Savior whose sacrifice set us free for freedom. Love, serve and share; use your freedom to bring honor to the One who gave it.
Ed