lady liberty

i'm a patriot at heart. i know that if i had been around during the revolution, i would have been a rebel. i love america and what it stands - well, stood - for. i love that men and women put their lives on the line to create our nation. i love the beautiful words of the declaration of independence. i love that our country was undoubtedly founded on the gospel of jesus christ. i love the american flag, the star-spangled banner, the old, patriotic hymns, and the pride that fills my heart when i hear the air force anthem. oh, and i can't forget to mention my fervor for fireworks. i love a good explosion.

as i sat through first baptist church's patriotic musical "the home of the brave" last sunday (june 26 - my 25th birthday, fyi), i couldn't help the tears that kept flooding my eyes. as a lone trumpet sounded the familiar tune of "taps," i found myself sobbing. i was reminded that freedom is never free. for centuries, our country has been dependent on the sacrifices of brave men and women. our freedom is won daily by people fighting relentlessly for the things that our forefathers battled for three hundred years ago. our freedom is secure. it is often threatened by other forces, but the simple truth is that our freedom is secure.

i am free not only as an american, but also as a believer in christ jesus. my freedom from sin and death was won for me on the cross. just as i trust our government and military to protect the freedoms that i have as an american, i trust that christ has won my freedom and is capable of holding it secure for all eternity. what i need to remember, however, is that my freedom did not come cheap. there was - there is - a tremendous cost. my freedom came at the expense of christ's life. his bondage - the ropes that tied his wrists to the cross; the chords that held christ, the sacrifical lamb, to the altar - purchased my freedom. oh, beautiful mystery.

so often i find myself living in bondage to one thing or another: a fear, a sinful habit, a thought, a worry, a memory. i don't believe god can be glorified by my life when i consistently choose to trade his freedom for satan's bondage. christ paid a HIGH price to buy my freedom - to loosen the chains of sin and the shackles of death. why do i choose to nullify that freedom in my life by willingly returning to slavery? i don't deserve the freedom i've been given - but god is sovereign and good, and he has chosen to make me free. i need to accept his freedom, and then i need to enjoy it and live my life by it. when i embrace the message of the cross and apply it FULLY to my life, THAT's when christ is most glorified. i don't have to put myself back into bondage, because i don't think i deserve to be free. duh - i don't deserve to be free. but in god's infinite wisdom and goodness and mercy he chose me to call out from the grave. and i AM free. his word promises that over and over again. my prayer is that i would learn to live in freedom the way christ intends me to; that i would celebrate the freedom i've been given; that i would cherish it, and that i would not cheapen it by the way i live my life.