Celebrate Freedom on the 4th of July

Today is Independence Day, the U.S. celebration of the formation of our country.  I'm thankful today for the freedom of religion that I get to enjoy today, because of the sacrifices of soldiers and their families, from 1776 to the present.

I enjoy a certain freedom that lets me join other Christians in my country in public worship and I am protected when I openly express my religious ideas in places like this blog.  I know there are many places in this world where the freedoms I exercise are not present, and Christians have to hide to avoid persecution.

There's one thing I have in common with all of my fellow Christians around the world today.  We are free in Jesus, because His sacrifice freed us from the bondage of sin.  Our bodies may not always be safe from trouble, but our souls are safely in His keeping.

He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
   because he has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
   and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4: 16-20 NIV 2011; referencing Isaiah 62: 1, 2; 58:6)

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8: 36 NIV 2011)!  Amen to that, and thank you, Lord, for that freedom.