by Darryl Johnson
West Assembly of God Church
FREEDOM
I love my country, don't you? The USA was established on the principle of freedom. Recall the words, "with liberty and justice for all." How about the words from the song America: "my country, tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing..." The Bill of Rights outlines and guarantees freedom for citizens. It is a tremendous and valued possession. We citizens should support and pursue proper freedom. Recent political events generate grave concern as I fear our country is trading freedom for dependency. The government bailouts will only bring our country into inescapable repression, but I digress...
To experience genuine freedom, we must discover and embrace truth. However, there are thousands of substitutes for truth! Not all roads lead to Rome, and not every path yields liberty. Many of these substitutes promise pleasure but only bring us bondage. In America we have an obsession for all things temporary and immediate. This obscures the reality of things eternal and the definitions of right and wrong. The inordinate desire for pleasure and entertainment imprisons me to needing the next big feeling. He who loves money is never satisfied with what he has. Self-love, intoxication with achievement and self-expression imprisons us in the jail of pride. There is no freedom in becoming a self-centered brat. I only become a slave to further selfishness.
The Bible proclaims that we can experience freedom! The Apostle Paul taught "it was for freedom that Christ has set you free..." Faith and trust in Jesus provides a real and eternal freedom for us all. Jesus said, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Truth is found in God's definitions, not ours. Truth is in Jesus, who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life..." The reality is that we are all sinners who need fixed/liberated. We need a Savior who can set us free from the slavery to sin and the prison of our past. Jesus has the power to liberate us from narcissistic self-absorption. There is a freedom available that enables us to do what is good and right. That liberating power is in the cross and the help of the Holy Spirit. As we surrender to the Lord above, we experience freedom.
I love my country, the land of the free, but there is a good chance that soon our freedoms will be a thing of the past. However, followers of Jesus can thrive, even when the country they live in denies individual freedoms. That is because real freedom in spiritual, internal and eternal. Follow Jesus today.
