Freedom: February 10, 2010

February 10. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2010.

FREEDOM

DEFINITION:

The state of being free; the right to worship and publish fact and opinion.

SCRIPTURE:

There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me FREE from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8: 1-2.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In America we should be thankful to God for the freedoms we have enjoyed here for more than 233 years. Our country was founded by those who sought freedom to worship God as they pleased. Our founding fathers paid a heavy price to see that we have the freedoms that we enjoy now. Harry S. Truman, former President of the United States said: “Freedom is expensive, it still costs blood, it still calls for courage and endurance by every man and woman who is free and who is determined to remain free.”

Freedom is something that needs to be protected. We need to be vigilant and mindful of the price that our forefathers here in America paid that we might be free. High above the Capitol building in Washington D.C. is the “FREEDOM LADY.” This statue is about 20 feet high and stands out to all who come near the capitol. We are reminded of the shipping of this statue from Rome to America. The ship that was on encountered a fierce storm and the Captain ordered some of the cargo to be thrown overboard. Some of the sailors wanted to jettison the heavy statue into the sea, but the Captain refused, shouting above the howling storm, “NO! NEVER!” We will flounder before we throw “FREEDOM” away.

Our founding fathers made sure that religious freedom was part of that freedom. We should not take that for granted. There are many in this world that do not have religious freedom and many Christians are being persecuted even today.

We have often said in these devotionals that Christianity is much more than a religion. It is a relationship with Jesus. God has given you the freedom to choose to have that relationship. As Joshua said many years ago; “Choose you this day, who you shall serve. For me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

When we choose to serve the Lord and accept Jesus as our Savior, we receive a freedom that came at a heavy price. We have the freedom from the consequences of sin because Jesus paid the penalty of our sins by giving His life on the cross --- His blood has made us free.

In John (8: 31, 32, 36) we read that the truth that we learn from God’s Word shall make us free. When Jesus makes us free we are truly free. Only Jesus has the power to break the power of sin over our life.

How we use our freedom reveals our character and who we really are. This is illustrated in the story of Abraham and Lot. Abraham gave Lot, his nephew the freedom to choose first which portion of the land he wanted. Lot chose the most fertile land for himself and left the poorest for Abraham. Lot’s choice led to his downfall. Abraham was rewarded by God and was richly blessed with great wealth. When we include God in our freedom to choose, God will bless us.

Paul reminds us in his words to the church in Galatia (Galatians 5:13) that we as believers have been given freedom, and we are to use that freedom to serve one another and not as an opportunity for the furthering of our sinful desires.

We all must understand the need to protect our freedoms that we have here in America but the freedom that we receive from our Lord is much, much more important.

How often do we take our freedoms for granted? All it takes for us to lose our freedoms in America and also to lose our freedom that Jesus has given to us is to let evil triumph. We need to work daily to keep our freedoms and if we do, God will honor our faithfulness.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the freedoms You have given me, especially the freedom to worship You. Help me to use my freedom to further the good news of the gospel. Enable me to share my beliefs to my family and lead them to appreciate the freedom to worship God that we have in this country.