Happy 4th of July, everyone! When I think about the freedoms we have in this country, I am most thankful for the ability we have to freely worship God. The fact that we can go to church, own Bibles, share things like these weekly Worship Wednesday posts openly and without fear of government interference or penalties is something I can’t view lightly.
Today as we celebrate our freedom I want to be mindful of the many Christians worldwide who don’t share the freedoms we do. I pray that they will be strengthened and encouraged, and that they will have the hope of Christ that passes all understanding, even as they face intense difficulties. If you would like to learn more about persecution in the Church worldwide, you can view the video below or visit Voice of the Martyrs.
I also want to remember that as much as I love the freedoms we have, true freedom is found in Christ, not in what country I live in. Although I’m thankful for the legal freedoms we have, my hope is not found in them. My hope and freedom is found in God and His salvation, and that’s something that can never be taken away!
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. I Peter 2:16
