The Word:
Read: Psalm 146:7, Luke
4:18, John 8:31-32, 34-36
"Our Independence Day" by Randolph Koch
As
I have been preparing to celebrate our nation's Independence Day, I started to
remember how much we have to be thankful for. Independence didn't come cheap
for the USA to become its own nation and many people fought and died to bring us this gift we know a freedom.
We have freedom to worship and attend
church wherever we want, or we can choose not to do so. We can have our own Bibles. We can choose (for the most part) what our career will be. We can have our own vehicles. We can have children without government control if we choose to have children. We can have clean water to drink and for the most part we can have 3 meals (that we can choose) a day as well as many other freedoms
that are truly unique to the USA.
The list goes on and on regarding the freedom we have here but we so easily take them for granted!
Think
about it for a moment: other countries don't have these freedoms and in some countries you could be killed or imprisoned for just being a follower of Christ. These and many other
freedoms we tend to take for granted.
We should remember to thank God for
these things. We truly live in a land of much independence, beginning way back
at the birth of this nation.
The fourth of July is a great time of celebration for the USA. But let us not
forget the greatest Independence Day of all time that we can all celebrate no
matter what country we call home. I'm talking about the day that we came to
know salvation through Jesus Christ! On that day, Jesus set us free from the
chains of our sin when He died for us, taking the penalty for our sin and
making it His. We were slaves to our sin and through His power He has given us
independence from our old sinful ways. We are no longer enslaved by our sin and will spend eternity with Him!!
Praise God that now as believer's we can truly celebrate, every day, our own
Independence Day!
Thanks be to our God for loving us so much! We’ve now
moved from dependence on sin and our old life to independence from sin and
dependence on Him!!!
Questions To Get Started With:
-Have you experienced your own Independence Day?
-Are you thankful for the many blessings, freedoms and privileges you have?
-Are you living the way you were before you came to know Christ or is your life new or growing? Is there evidence of your own Independence Day?
-Are you secure in your walk with God knowing that the Lord has truly set you
free?
Application Idea:
-Consider making a list of the blessings, freedoms and privileges you have.
-Thank God for these things and seek to never take them for granted!
Have
a wonderful and safe 4th of July!
In
Him,
rlk
