Happy Independence Day!
May today serve as a reminder of what it took for this nation to win its freedom, what it has taken to retain that freedom and especially now, what it will take to keep that freedom in a confused and vengeful
environment.
After years of war and the deaths of many, our forefathers gathered and signed the Declaration of Independence. It was the beginning of a new life for them and remains so for us. The freedom won was not only political freedom but also freedom in Christ.
Perhaps, we take that for granted. If that is the case, we need to remind ourselves of the thousands of young men who have given their very lives to assure that freedom for you and me. They willingly went to war and paid by giving their lives for the freedom that we take for granted!
We also live in a world where what was good is bad and what was bad is now good. A world where our personal “rights” overrule what is moral and good.
Maybe this year as we go about our lives, we can reflect on what our independence truly means and what it is worth to us. As the grill cools from the barbeque and the fireworks end, thank God for the freedom we have enjoyed for so long and pray that we can hold on till the day Christ returns.
Below is just the ending of an article I found from The Southern Illinoisan. It was much longer but this ending struck true with me. I hope it does with you too.
Pray Unceasingly!!
Lois
Every Day is Independence Day for Christians
Provided By The Rev. Biff Mooree
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” — Galatians 5:1, 13
In this life, flesh and spirit will always be at war. Daily we’re deceived by our own fleshly desires. We look out for our own interests. We run after the interests of “Me, Myself and I.”
Yet God still loves us and calls us and leads us to follow Him. We do this by daily repentance, sorrow over sin, daily confessing our sin, and daily understanding that God, for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, has forgiven our sins and no longer holds any of them against us. This is true freedom.
For Christians, every day is Independence Day.