August 20 2001
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
I've been thinking a lot about freedom lately.. as I've read through Jeremiah in the last few days it seems to me that its one of the underlying themes in the book. God wants his people to be free. He freed them from slavery in Egypt but, they allowed themselves to become enslaved again to the sin of the nations around them. God desperately wants them to be freed from that to enjoy the life he's designed for them. Through all their history God has worked continuously to free them.
God freed me through the cross and my obedience to it.. but I have to continually work to be free, to disentangle myself from those things that have held me captive. My eyes have been opened to some simple truths lately... Freedom is never won in a single moment and it always comes at a price. I've been reading a lot of American history lately particularly about the founding period of our country... In writing the Declaration of Independence, freedom was declared on July 4, 1776 but then it had to be won. It was a piece of paper that without some action to back it up would be relatively meaningless. As a nation we put ourselves on the line and proceeded to fight for that freedom for the next seven years. The war known as the 'American Revolution' didn't end until 1783 and even that wasn't the end.. in many ways it was just the beginning. It took a year of intense labor and effort to established the Constitution and then many more years working the details so that the governmental structure put in place would last and ensure continued freedom. It's been eye opening for me to see how much personal sacrifice was involved by so many over such a long period of time -- it's well beyond what I was really aware of. In learning these things God has helped me to see his truths more clearly and it has helped me gain a clearer perspective on my own life and my own personal battle to be free. God set me free but there is, and always will be, a continued need to work out my freedom . I shouldn't be surprised at the intensity of it, of how hard it is to move forward, to face things that have held me back all my life and to do the work involved in breaking the chains. What strengthens me and what I glimpse through this is that God is the champion of my freedom! It is his great dream for my life. The fight to be free is very difficult, I guess if it were easy there's be something wrong. Someways it's more than I think I can handle.. but this is never true... all I need to do is stand firm... refuse to give up or run away... God is always present, always fighting for me, always making a way for victory...