Seven Days of Freedom, Day 3: Free

Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free.

Psalm 118:5

free [free] adjective

enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery
pertaining to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty
clear of obstructions or obstacles, as a road or corridor
enjoying political autonomy, as a people or country not under foreign rule; independent

One of my European cousins has often commented on the American’s obsession with freedom. I must admit, I love the freedoms granted by our Constitution. Why? Because freedom means choice. It means I am free to be who God created me to be.

Freedom is also a very important spiritual concept, more important than national freedom. In fact, a person cannot be completely free unless they have been set free from sin. Most Americans have not experienced the bondage of physical slavery, but we all have been in bondage to sin. But because Jesus died for us on the cross, we have been set free.

The Hebrew word for freedom used in the verse above is merchab which means a broad roomy place. or wide expanses. Merchab is derived from the root word rachab which means to grow large, to grow wide. One of the things Jesus frees us from is distresses, metsar in the Hebrew. Metsar, which means trouble, pains, or tight places, when traced to its root also means, stomach. From the previous definitions, we can infer our worries keep us small, stunt our growth, hem us in, and tie our stomach in knots.

Ironically, Jesus sets us free so we can experience true freedom by becoming … slaves of Christ. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When Jesus sets us free, we are free indeed.

Action Points

A slave does the will of his Master. What area/s of life are you still controlling?
Because you are safe in the hands of your Master, what are you free to do?
What are the blessings of living according to the will of the Good Master?
How does being a slave of Christ bring freedom?

God Bless America.

We hope you enjoy the music below.

“free.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 28 Jun. 2015. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/firm>.

7 Days of Freedom, Day 2: Liberty

18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captive, and recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.

Luke 4:18-19

liberty [lib-er-tee] Noun

freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint
freedom or right to frequent or use a place
freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control

The Greek transliterations for liberty is aphesis. In the Greek, aphesis means “release from bondage or imprisonment; forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty.” Did you notice the part in the parenthesis? God lets go our sins as if they had never been committed. Why does He allow this? Our sins have already been paid in full at the cross. According to the Dictionary.com definition, liberty means we have the “right to frequent or use a place.” Because of the cross, we have the liberty to frequent the throne of grace and boldly ask God to meet our needs.

The cry of the American patriot Patrick Henry, in the face of the American Revolution was, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” How prophetic. As Christians we have the same options: liberty or death. We choose.

Christ sets us free from sin so we have the liberty not to live for self (we already tried that once), but for Him. We have liberty to do good works, serve others, and take the Gospel of freedom to every nation on earth.

As we draw near to Independence Day, remember to thank God for not only for the liberty of our nation, but of our souls as well.

Action Points:

What is something you need to be set free from?
Who needs to hear about the liberty we have in Christ? How can you share the Gospel with this person?
Pray for nations that are closed to the Gospel. To see a list of countries in need of prayer, please click on the following link: Closed Countries

Please enjoy the music below.

God Bless America.

“liberty.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 28 Jun. 2015. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/firm>.

Freedom!-Take 5! by Mary Kane

Freedom is a precious gift! True freedom is found only in Christ. To do the Take 5! Study “Freedom” just click on the link!

True Freedom

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

True Freedom

Jane VanOsdol

“You stay here, and I’ll be back in a few minutes,” my relative Max said to me as he went with the East German police into a building. It was the summer of 1980. I had just graduated from high school and was visiting relatives in Germany. Max had taken me into East Berlin to meet a friend of his, and we were trying to return back to the West side after a few day’s visit. An armed guard marched around and around the car as I waited for Max. I eyed the guard as I pondered the events of the last few days. Nothing in my life had prepared me for the palpable oppression and depression I experienced in East Berlin.

The moment we crossed the border, everything was drab and lifeless–the countryside, the buildings, even the people seemed gray and lifeless. I had even looked back behind us, trying to figure out what had happened in the last few feet to cause such a change. It slowly settled on me that this was the result of a government that robbed people of their basic freedoms. I had to guard every word that came out of my mouth–even inside our friend’s apartment–as I quickly learned the first day.

The minutes ticked by as I sat in the car. After 20 minutes I decided I had to go find him. I opened the door and started for the building, wondering what the guard would do. At that moment, Max flung open the office door and strode out, motioning me back into the car.

It wasn’t until we were on our way down the road that he spoke. Because I was an American, they made up some violation that Max had supposedly committed and assessed him a hefty fine. They pulled us over one more time and fined us again before we made it back to West Berlin.

Never before had I recognized the true worth of freedom in America. My eyes were suddenly opened to the value of my country compared to this stifling existence that I had lived for only a few days, that many others were trapped in forever.

Likewise, I came to recognize a few years later the ultimate gift of freedom given by Jesus. After I had spent a few miserable years wallowing in the drab gray prison of my own sinful ways, how could I not choose the One who came in, rescued me from myself and took me over the border into freedom?

Every July 4th reminds me anew of the blessing of my country. And every day lived with Jesus reminds me to be thankful for my freedom in Christ.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You for the blessing of America. Help us not to take for granted what so many others have died for. Thank You for the ultimate sacrifice You made on the cross that freed us from our sins and reconciled us to You. Amen.