Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1 HCSB

The United States of America has often been called the land of the free. We have that freedom because there were men and women willing to fight for it. There was blood shed and lives lost so that we can say whatever we want to say. We can burn our flag if we wish to do so. We can blame an entire country of police officers for what one did. We can allow child molesters into bathrooms with little girls if the child molester claims to be transgender. We can complain about the police and want to defund them. We can even complain about our military. We are even allowed to kill babies. We are free to do that. Yes, maybe some of these freedoms go too far, but this is the world we live in today. We can do all these things because there were brave people willing to give their lives so that we may be free.

Today, we celebrate our freedom or our independence. We celebrate the fact that we live in a free country where we are also free to attend church and worship as we please. We are free to bear arms. We are free to speak out when we think something is wrong. All because people were willing to fight and die to give us freedom.

Jesus Christ also died to give us freedom. His death on the cross gave us freedom from sin and death. His blood cleansed us of our unrighteousness. He paid the price to free us from the slavery of our sin. But there is also a price that we have to pay. We have to be willing to give up our fleshly desires. We have to be willing to surrender all to Him. We have to be willing to wholeheartedly seek Him. But let me tell you, my friend, what we pay is a real bargain. Because you see for the price we pay, accepting Christ as our Savior, we not only get freedom from sin and death, but we get so much more. We get mercy and grace. We get unconditional love. We get guidance through this crazy thing called life (Proverbs 3:5-6). We get protection (Psalm 91).

Now this may sound so good that you may be wondering where you sign up. But before you do, let me explain something to you. The biggest cost is yourself. That’s right, you have to give up yourself. You see we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Christ paid the price for those sins as our scripture passage today tells us. He freed us. But it also tells us we have to stand firm. We have to be willing to turn our sin over to God. We have to be willing to let it go. We have to be willing to let God guide us in all that we say and do. So while being free from the bondage of sin sounds good, we must fight to stay free.

Our scripture passage today tells us if we do not stand firm that we stand a chance of falling back into that yoke of slavery. This means that some of our acquaintances that we called friends may need to go. This means that some of the language we formerly used may need to go. This means that any behavior that doesn’t glorify God needs to go. Are you willing to pay the price for freedom?

It seems like the cost is great and it is, but I can tell you from personal experience that once you surrender and let go of the old you and let God run things, you will be so glad you did. What we get in return makes it a bargain to pay the small pittance that we pay.

Turn to God today. Trust in Him. Give it all over to Him. He will give you freedom in return. Christ died to give us freedom, but we must stand firm to protect that freedom.

As we celebrate our freedom today, I hope that we can appreciate all the brave men and women that died to pay the price for our freedom. I also hope that you will take time to appreciate the price Jesus Christ paid to free us from our sins. But also remember that you still have a price to pay as well. Once you do, you will agree that it was well worth it.

Celebrate your freedom and have a wonderful Fourth of July!