Have you experienced true freedom?

Hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, ice cream, fireworks, family and friends. Those are the usual ingredients for a traditional Fourth of July celebration. Some like to mix in the beach or the lake, but a backyard will do as well.

It's a great time of the year when we celebrate our country's independence. It's truly something to be thankful for and celebrated. Billions of people around the world can only dream about the freedoms we, too often, take for granted.

More than 1.1 million Americans have died in wars protecting our freedoms. Sadly, nearly half of that total is from our nation's own Civil War as nearly 500,000 died during that dark period of time in our nation's history. More than 400,000 died in WWII. 

Freedom comes at a great cost. We shouldn't take it for granted. There are more than 1.3 million active military personnel serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. We need to be thankful and pray for them. They make up a scant 0.4 percent of our nation's population. 

Freedom is wonderful, but as former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt said, "With freedom comes responsibility."

I am thankful God allowed me to be born in the U.S. He could have placed any of us anywhere else in the world, but in His great wisdom, He decided to put us in America. Why? I have no idea. You will have to ask Him. What I do know, is the ultimate freedom comes from God through Jesus Christ, and with that freedom comes even greater responsibility.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 5:13-14, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Jesus frees us from slavery to sin (Romans 6:17-18). We are not to take that freedom and abuse it to do what we please in this life. No, Paul says with that freedom we are to love and serve one another. 

As the saying goes, freedom isn't free. It cost Jesus everything to buy our freedom. He left Heaven to live as one of us. He gave Himself to be horrifically beaten as well as verbally abused and spat upon. He endured a Roman cross to shed His precious blood, which covers our sins. 

True freedom came on the third day when God raised Jesus from the dead. One by one as people believed chains were broken. Peter experienced forgiveness of denying Jesus three times. Thomas was forgiven for doubting Jesus had risen from the dead. For more than 2,000 years, slaves of sin have been freed.

Jesus offers that same freedom today. All we have to do is confess and believe: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

We see in Matthew 4:17 where Jesus began preaching by saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." From there, Jesus invited the disciples to, "Follow Me." His invitation remains the same today, and Jesus invites everyone to repent and follow Him.

Have you repented of your sins. I did. We all have to, for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I encourage you, experience the greatest freedom of all today. Repent, which means to turn from your sinful ways and turn to Jesus. Receive God's forgiveness, love, mercy, grace, salvation, freedom, life all wrapped up in one free gift named Jesus Christ. 

Call out to Him today the best you know how. There are no set words to say. Simply call out to Him. "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13) Then, follow Jesus.

If you do, then today will truly be your day to celebrate freedom, and you will celebrate it for eternity.

If you have any questions, or if you have just given your life to Jesus, please email me at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com