by Rebecca Murzin
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. – Galatians 5:1
I love the fourth of July. I love fireworks, spending time with family, and celebrating the freedom we have in this great nation of ours. I thank God that we have the freedom to worship Him. I am so grateful we can freely gather together as a body of Christ. I love so many of the things our Independence day represents.I love that we have so many freedoms in this country. As I pondered independence day, I decided to look up the word because I love to study and look up words.
Independence is the state or quality of being free from outside control or support.
As Americans, many of us are proud of this. As we should be. Our freedom came with a price that so many before us paid for and so many today still fight for. Yet, all this sacrifice is nothing compared to the sacrifice given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This freedom Jesus died for can never be taken away. His sacrifice gives us life and freedom from sin and death. This freedom is not just for a single nation, but for each and every person who believes in Jesus and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection. Sadly too often believers do not stand firm in this freedom and too often submit again to a yoke of slavery. It breaks my heart to see. Jesus knew this would happen and warned us about it in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23). The cares of life and lack of deep roots can cause many to not stand firm. This is a scary thought. It compels me to spread the seed, the word of God but to also disciple. So often people are told the good news without discipleship and are unable to stand firm. We need to share the word but also help water and nurture those seeds that have been planted so that they develop a strong root system. This is necessary for them to grow their faith and stand firm in the freedom they have been given.
Discipleship is so important, we need to not neglect it. Discipling is also a reminder that though we as Americans love our independence and like to think we don’t need outside support, we do. God did not create us to be independent but rather dependent on Him for salvation and interdependent on our brothers and sisters in Christ. We were created as a body with many parts. Each part is needed, we can’t function properly alone. We were created to work together (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We need each other and first and foremost we need Jesus. Praise God for the freedom that He has given us! Let us stand firm in it and disciple those around us to do the same.
