Tomorrow is our country’s Independence Day.
I don’t know about you, but as a kid, I loved going to firework shows, but I never really understood the sacrifice the signers of the Declaration of Independence were making so that we could be free from the rule of King George.
But, as Christians, there is another Independence Day that we should recognize.
It was the day that we chose to receive the free gift of eternal life by believing that only Jesus’ blood can deliver us from the tyranny of sin.
Remember that every one of us was born under the tyrannical rule of sin.
It is used by Satan to tempt, deceive and accuse us and to lead us to live for ourselves and look for life apart from God.
Sin leads us to declare ourselves and our own king and master of our lives.
Beloved, that’s a lie.
Living for self only leads to pain, heartache and self-destruction. Why?
Because apart from God, there is no life. He alone is the Source and Giver of life.
Satan wants us to pursue the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life by convincing us that all of that will satisfy us.
The truth is that not only do the pleasures of this world not satisfy, they rob us of life and lead us into bondage.
Our founding fathers knew that the King of England never intended to allow the colonists to have a voice in how they were governed.
They knew that there was only one possibility for freedom and that was rebelling against the tyranny.
It would be costly, but it also would be worth it.
Thankfully, God saw fit for George Washington’s ragtag army to succeed, and we have experience the fruits of their victory for 241 years.
But, beloved, an even greater victory was achieved on our behalf by Jesus when He died on the cross for our sins and then rose again on the third day.
The ultimate tyrant, sin, was defeated.
Now, we can live free from the power of sin.
It is no longer our master.
Instead, we can walk in God’s grace which teaches us to say “no” to sin and “yes” to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So, as we celebrate our country’s Independence Day, let’s be mindful of celebrating the freedom that Jesus has given us over sin and self.
Blessings!
Robyn Henning