Freedom!!!

We just celebrated the forth of July, the day of our nations INDEPENDENCE. Freedom is a wonderful thing, or so we think. As young people we especially want our freedom. Actually, TRUE freedom is wonderful. Teenagers often say: “I can’t wait till I’m out of this house and on my own,” “I want to do my own thing,” “I can decide for myself.” Well, I’ve been “on my own” for 14 years and I wish with all my heart that someone would “tell me what to do”!

Freedom is defined as the condition of being free of restraints. Wow! Think about that - free of restraints (restriction, limitation). In the context of this definition there is nothing in the universe, animate or inanimate that is free. The world as we know it is full of limitations, boundaries, restraints. As a matter of fact, those very restraints are what make our world what it is. The ocean has boundaries. Aren’t you glad. The atmosphere is limited. Everything in nature is limited and has boundaries. Everything in this universe is dependent upon something else. It is what we call the cycle of life. One form of life depends on the other, who in turn depends on the other and so on.

What about independence? What about people? Is there any person that is TRULY free? NO! The king upon his thrown is bound by the law (Dan. 6:12-15). The richest person today, who we think can do whatever he wants and go wherever He pleases is dependent upon the economy, weather, his wife, the airplane, etc. Perceivably, he may have more freedom than you do, but he is still LIMITED.

There is only one that is TRULY free and that is GOD. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is subject to NOTHING! He is not subject to man, nature, time, space, or any other element. Think about this for a while.

Now I still want to be free, we all want to be free. It seams to me that only someone who is truly free can help me to understand freedom. I can’t go to a slave and ask him about freedom. I can’t go to Bill Gates and ask him about freedom (he is limited by the law and many other things). I can’t find freedom in nature. There is only ONE to whom I can go for real freedom - GOD.

Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. As we realize that we are “bound” by sin and come to Jesus He will SET US FREE! Being FREE from sin is the beginning of true freedom. “FREE, FREE, FREE, I HAVE BEEN SET FREE.” We were slaves of sin. “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” Rom. 6:17. Now, by faith in Jesus Christ we are FREE! “...having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Rom. 6:18. We should be eternally grateful to our Heavenly Father and to the Lord Jesus Christ that we are FREE from sin. “For sin shall not have dominion over you..” Rom. 6:14.

The Apostle Paul goes on to teach us that, as believers on the Lord Jesus we must learn that true freedom is found in whole hearted surrender (servitude) to Jesus Christ. This does not make sense at first, but trust me, NO, trust the Word of God! If you want to be FREE, FREE INDEED, then come to Jesus, and tell Him that you want to be His servant. Now don’t do this as an experiment, or as an emotion, or impulse; do it whole heartedly. God sees the heart anyway. I want you to know that God takes our surrender VERY seriously; more so that we do. God will honor your surrender to Him.

Now this seems to contradict what we said at the beginning. It seems to contradict the very definition of freedom and independence. But freedom is found in loosing ALL of our rights, ALL of our desires, ALL of our ambitions, ALL of our aspirations, EVERYTHING that we hold dear; and surrendering ALL to Jesus Christ.

“All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give..” DO IT TODAY!! And you will find TRUE INDEPENDENCE!!

RC