Happy Fourth of July!

July 4th

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Galatians 5:1,13

Each July Fourth we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the freedom that we have as American citizens and thank God for His providential care of our nation. It is also an opportunity to remind ourselves that with those rights, come responsibilities: to pay our taxes; to give honor to those in authority over us; to vote and serve on juries and in the military when called by our nation to do so; and to pray for our nation and its leaders.

God’s Word also reminds us that the greatest freedom that we enjoy comes not from the Bill of Rights but from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By His holy life and by His shed blood on the cross we have been set from the curse of the Law, from the burden of our sins, and from the fear of death. Christ has truly set us free!

But in the same way as in our nation, so it is in the Kingdom of God, that with freedom, come responsibilities. Our sinful flesh wants to turn the Gospel into a license for sin. But it is not! It is freedom for service. We have been set free from sin and death so that we can lovingly serve God and one another without fear.
I pray that this July Fourth as you celebrate the freedoms we have as Americans you would also remember your responsibilities as citizens and that you would take time to thank God for the Gospel freedom we enjoy as Christians and re-commit yourself to the loving service of God and one another!