Independence Day

      Dates bring certain things to remembrance. For me, June 21 is my birthday, April 29 is my second birthday and September 11 is the day we were attacked by terrorists, December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day and July 4^th is the day of independence. July 4^th was also the day that I met my wife, Diane, in 1959 so it was sixty years ago. We were married the following year on June 12, 1960. Dates have a way of reminding you of certain things. July 4^th reminds me of the freedom that I have being born in this country. Since I was born in this country, I have been blessed more than most people in the world. The world is filled with what we have termed to be “third world countries” which means that they have very little comforts in this life and most of the time live in fear of their governments. The definition of a “third world” country has come to mean, “.....In recent years, the term has come to define countries that have high poverty rates, economic instability and lack basic human necessities like access to water, shelter or food for its citizens. These countries are often underdeveloped, and in addition to widespread poverty, they also have high mortality rates.” I have indeed been blessed to be born in this country. No matter how much freedom I possess in this land that has been blessed beyond measure, I can still be a prisoner and to be a prisoner indeed being bound by the Prince of the Power of the Air, Satan himself, but a solution came to that problem. John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

         There was that day almost 2,000 years ago on a hill called Calvary, where the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was raised up on a cruel cross to provide real freedom for people. He died for more than the blessed people of the world, but He died for every human being on earth. His blood sacrifice was sufficient to pay the price for all of the sins of mankind and so thereby made us potentially free beyond what we could ever imagine. The death on the cross had the potential of freeing everyone, but it won't be applied to everyone because there are some who will rather remain in their sinful condition than to accept the payment that has been made for them and thereby freeing them from the penalty of sin. We often speak of the work of salvation, that it saved us from the penalty of sin, is saving us from the power of sin and someday will save us from the presence of sin. That is real freedom. While the Statue of Liberty if the symbol of our freedom as Americans, the Cross of Calvary is the symbol of our freedom as Christians. I am thankful for being an American but above all, I am thankful for being a Christian. I have been twice blessed. Praise God today that the Lord Jesus Christ can make you free indeed.