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It’s July 4th, a special day for us here in the United States, as we celebrate the freedom that is ours because we live in this land. It’s a freedom we often take for granted, but we need to stop and thank God for the freedom we enjoy.
But you know, real freedom is when you are free from the things that keep you personally in bondage. No earthly government can grant you that freedom. It is found only in Jesus Christ.
What is holding you in bondage from which you really want to be set free?
- Fear or guilt?
- Shame?
- Failures in your past?
- Wrongs done to you?
- Poor choices you’ve made?
- Insecurity?
- Pride?
Paul wrote to the Galatians: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).
Mind you, Paul was writing to Christians, those who had declared themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ. And yet, Paul is encouraging them not to let themselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery because Christ had set them free.
When as Christians we continue to live in bondage to these things, it’s like someone has put us in a jail but they didn’t lock the door, so at any time we can push open that door and walk out to freedom, but we don’t. We sit in that jail cell, as though we cannot escape, when all the time all we have to do is push open the door and walk out.
Later in that letter to the Galatians Paul wrote: “You were called to be free. . .” If you’ve been born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, your calling from him is to be free from all that weighs you down. Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
So, as you celebrate our nation’s freedom, ask yourself if you are standing firm in the freedom that Christ has given you, or if you’re allowing yourself to be burdened by a yoke of slavery.