Freedom.

Where does it begin?

Certainly not with us. "Man is . . . everywhere . . . in chains" Rousseau. We are incarcerated by pain, bound by pessimism, shackled to profligacy, fastened with pride, constrained by promiscuity, secured by pretense, limited by problems, handcuffed by prejudice, trussed up in pettiness, captivated by power, tied to pornography, or locked in struggles for prosperity. So "who will rescue (us) from this body of death?" Romans 7:24 (NIV). Who can emancipate us? Prisoners can’t release prisoners. The door to freedom has to be opened from the outside. But thanks be to God! There is One who holds the key. Our liberty is risen. Christ sets the captives free.

Freedom.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" Galatians 5:1 (NIV). But He hasn’t set us free to do as we please. "We have freedom of choice but not freedom from choice" Wendell Jones. For freedom isn’t a right. It isn’t the absence of constraints or moral absolutes. Rather, it’s a sacred trust. It’s doing what you should, and not what you want. It’s living each day only all for Him. It’s rising up and saying, "For Christ I’ve been set free! My face is set, my gait is fast, my way is tough, my mission clear. I’m in His grip - I’m His alone!"

Freedom.

You were called to be free. "But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature . . . (or) as a cover up for evil" Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 2:16 (NIV). For freedom isn’t self-indulgence. It’s not a license to sin. It’s not the means to selfishness and self-centeredness. And it should never be a stumbling block to the weak (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:9).

Freedom.

". . . Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV). Freedom is initiated and sustained by God. It begins through faith in Christ, continues through obedience to Christ, and reaches its greatest heights through the love of Christ. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind . . . and . . . love your neighbour as yourself" Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV).

This is true freedom. Freedom is something joyful, enduring, peace loving, patient, trusting, kind, good, gentle, faithful, forgiving and self-controlled.

Freedom is love - not license. For "license, which is unbridled freedom, quickly becomes the enemy of freedom" Richard John Neuhaus.

Freedom.

"To move freely you must be deeply rooted" Bella Lewitzky (American ballerina - 1916). . . . Deeply rooted in God’s precepts. His Word must be a lamp to your feet and a light for your path (cf. Psalm 119:105). You must "speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom" James 2:12 (NIV). For freedom isn’t independence - it’s interdependence with God. It’s a responsibility of the highest order. It’s living within God’s righteous constraint. It’s doing what God requires of you. It’s acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with your God (cf. Micah 6:8).

Freedom.

Never take it for granted. Never abuse it. And never refuse it. For it comes at great cost. Toil, sacrifice, sweat, blood, bruises and even death are its price.

Freedom.

It’s your duty to seek it. It’s your duty to find it. It’s your duty to pursue it with all your strength. For "You, my brothers, were called to be free" Galatians 5:13 (NIV). Free from the love of money. Free from lust. Free from laziness. Free from hypocrisy. Free from cowardice.

Free from mediocrity. Free from legalism. Free from trivial pursuits. Free from the shackles of sin. You were called to be free! Free to be everything God wants you to be. Free to fly - to soar on eagles wings (cf. Isaiah 40:31).

Freedom.

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" John 8:36 (NIV). God’s Word promises it, His actions confirm it, and experience testifies to it. He is the only liberator whose liberation lasts forever. So choose Christ. Embrace the Liberator who proclaims freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners (cf. Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). For He is the only One who can set you free from the law of sin and death (cf. Romans 8:2). No one else can set you free. There is no philosophy, no ideology, no religion, no leader, and no earthly power that can truly set you free. All freedoms outside of Christ, once won, soon turn into a new servitude. But thanks be to God! There is One who holds the key. Our liberty is risen. Christ sets the captives free.

Freedom is a our birthright ,

A sacred trust begun;

The pulse-beat of every man,

The heart-cry in each one.

Freedom is God’s favour,

Wrought in us from above;

It’s blood bought by Jesus,

His great gift of love.

Freedom is the air we breathe,

That sin and death might flee;

Where the Spirit of the Lord is,

The captives now set free.

L. Murray, 2006