Hi Folks,
I hope you are having a great weekend!!
Our devotional for this week is on freedom, as I backspace to the celebration we had in the US earlier this month- July of 4th.
I was thinking this weekend on the word "Freedom" and remembering that my former pastor always said that folks think the 4th of July is all about independence, freedom from something (like oppression) and it is. But he always said that the 4th of July was also our chance to declare our "Dependence On God."
Many people groups in our world today think that freedom from God in one's personal life, the marketplace, the political area, the schoolhouse, even the church scene produces a better life, an opportunity to do as one wishes in freedom.
Now look closely at our world today and think about all that is going on in a negative sense- shootings, not just in schools, corruption on many levels, innocent babies being killed even up to the moment of delivery, Christians overseas being persecuted (imprisoned, tortured, killed), the tolerance for anything and intolerance towards the things of God.
I personally don't think that our world has improved by its freedom "from God", instead that is has become more "enslaved" to many things that are ungodly, immoral and even hurtful to oneself (drugs for instance).
As you will see in the devotes. below, Galatians 5:13 says, "For you, brethren, (Speaking to men and women who have trusted Jesus for salvation) have been called to liberty; (freedom) only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, (not using liberty as a chance to do as we please) but through love serve one another."
Verses of Romans 6 says the same thing, (verses 1-2) "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?"
Verses 5-6, "....knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be [a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."
Verses 14-16, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as [d]instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."
These verses state our Christian liberty, bought by Christ's blood is not a ticket to sin, to live as we choose. We actually make ourselves slaves, servants to sin and ungodliness when we live according to our desires. When we live according to God's Word, where He shows us what a godly, Christlike lifestyle looks like, we live a life of true freedom, not a slave to sin but a servant of God,(verses 15-22) having the strength to live a life that reflects Him.
Below are two devotionals. The first one is the main one I want you to read, it gives a bit of history, which I love, and then ties it into Scripture. The 2nd one you can read later this week and it shows a unique parallel between 4th of July and Easter...very interesting.
Have a blessed weekend!
(Devots. used by permission. Taken from https://www.icr.org)
Genuine Liberty:
4th of July and Easter:
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