Since tomorrow is Independence Day for the United States, this week we’re going to take a break from the Bible Characters study and we’ll resume it next week.
Do we really understand the freedom we’ve been given? Not just because of the soldiers who fought to set our country free from tyranny or the men and women serving our country to keep it free from people who would seek to take freedom away, but the freedom we have in Christ?
Sin enslaves us. Take a moment and think about whatever sin brings you pleasure, whether it’s sex outside of marriage, alcohol, drugs, acting upon same-sex-attraction, gossiping, gluttony, gambling, pornography, lashing out in anger, disobeying our parents, lying, stealing, or a myriad of other sins in this world. You may not be addicted to your sin, but do you want to stop? Or do you want to keep doing it because it makes you happy temporarily, because it brings you pleasure?
Ask yourself this question: could I really stop?
If you say yes immediately, take a look at your life. Could you really stop? Do you really want to stop? How easy is it for us to just give up our sins? It isn’t easy because sin seems pleasurable. It enslaves us.
Jesus died and rose again to set us free. He broke our chains and freed us from the devil who seeks to destroy us. But once we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, returning to our sin is like a slave who has been freed, running back to his or her old master. Returning to chose chains. Is that what you want?
Is temporary pleasure really worth your eternity? I’ve asked myself that question before and the answer is just as easy to say out loud as it is difficult to put into action.
This Independence Day, let’s celebrate the physical freedom we have been given through the sacrifice of brave people who fought to set us free, but let’s celebrate the spiritual and eternal freedom from the One who died and rose again to ensure that our freedom is eternal and lasts forever and ever.
