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My wife and I recently retired after nearly 40 years of local church ministry. To celebrate, we took a road trip across the country. It was an amazing trip from the busyness of the Northeast, through the wide-open plains of mid-America, to the impressive mountain ranges that hid the Pacific Northwest. We were in awe of the beauty of the land and impressed with the people of our nation. We are truly blessed to live in this great country.
It is by God's grace that we live where we live. We realize that our country is not perfect; no country is. Yet we enjoy a lot of freedoms that citizens and residents of many other countries do not enjoy. Let us be mindful and thankful for those freedoms.
In a harbor, outside of New York City, stands a statue that is the symbol of the freedom afforded to all people by our country. The Statue of Liberty is recognized around the world as an invitation to enjoy the freedom that our country offers.
But there is another symbol of liberty. There is a freedom that transcends borders, languages, ethnicities, and human forms of government. That freedom is found in Christ Jesus, and that symbol is the cross upon which Christ died. On that cross, Jesus set us free from the consequences of our sins, from the regrets and shame of our past, from the concerns and problems of our present, and from the fears and anxieties of our future.
Years ago, recording artist and composer Neil Enloe wrote the Dove Award winning song, "The Cross is My Statue of Liberty." The chorus says, "It was there that my soul was set free."
In John 8:32, Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." We know from John 14:6 that Jesus declared that He is "the way, the truth and the life." Therefore, we have the assurance of John 8:36 that if the "Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (NIV).
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in II Corinthians 3:17b, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
There is a spiritual freedom that we can all enjoy. But to receive it, we must go to that cross. We must acknowledge that the One who died on that cross was and is the Son of God and accept the fact that He died for us. Through His death, our sins were forgiven. Forgiveness is the greatest gift that He offers to us. But like any other gift, we must reach out and take it. We do that by confessing our sins, repenting of those sins, accepting His forgiveness, and choosing to live for Him. When we do that from our heart, we are truly free.
To quote a line from Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech: "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at last."
As we celebrate Independence Day on Tuesday, thank God Almighty that we are free. By His grace, we live in a free country. By Christ's sacrifice, we have been set free from the sins of our past. Through His resurrection, we have abundant, eternal life. Let us celebrate our freedom every day. "Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."
Rev. James R. Pentz, assistant pastor, New Covenant Assembly of God, 1270 Pinchtown Road, Montgomery