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Taking
God at His Word Let
Freedom Ring!
In John 8:36 (NASB) God's Word says, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." Because of the terrorist attacks on America, it is common to see crowds standing in stadiums and school auditoriums, singing "God Bless America." Following the acts of war perpetrated on our country and her people, we celebrate our freedom in a spirit of resolve that such calculating hatred cannot be allowed to stand in any nation, among any people. As freedom rings across this country, tens of thousands sing with tears streaming down their faces. We hear the roaring crescendo of "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave" in government meetings and on the gridiron. We are moved to tears as we salute our flag's broad stripes and bright stars. After all, the flag is our symbol of America's freedom. Recently, President Bush vehemently stated from the Rose Garden (September 24, 2001) that cowardly terrorists attempted to "face down freedom" in America, but America is willing to do whatever it takes to preserve her freedom. Freedom is not free. Freedom costs because freedom requires courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is committing to the right cause in the midst of fear. Courage requires us to commit to a cause when faced with an act of war and destruction that is beyond our control. We face an endless number of things that must be done in recovering from the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. One of America's responses on the to-do list is the reconstruction of buildings and lives. Our cause is greater than physically rebuilding New York and Washington. We must rebuild spiritually as well as physically. Our rebuilding must include the proclamation of freedom offered in Jesus Christ to all groups of people within our communities and beyond our borders. The bell of freedom must ring out the message of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way for every man, woman, boy, and girl to be free indeed. All Christians from every church and corner of the country must rally together as united messengers boldly proclaiming Christ's exclusive message of freedom from the bondage of sin to all races and groups, both large and small. In John 8:36, Jesus tells us He is our source of freedom. He is our Anchor on the stormy seas of life. He is our Comforter in times of trouble. He is our Encourager when we are despondent. He is our Savior when we are lost. In Him and Him alone we are forgiven of our sins. When we are free in Him we are "free indeed." We have the freedom to live a godly life, freedom to stand up for what is right, freedom to choose the best, freedom to keep on growing, freedom to reach our potential. We are released from the bondage of sin when we repent of our sins, place our personal trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and experience His forgiveness. We are free to obey Him as the Lord of our lives, knowing and doing God's Word, growing each day as we talk with Him in prayer. How does the believer let freedom ring? We pray with broken hearts and willing lives for God's love to infiltrate our hearts. We ask God to fill us with His Spirit and empower us with the message that we are "free indeed" in Christ. We willingly becomes messengers of the good news based on God's promise in Isaiah 61, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners; . . ." On
October 12, 1962, John F. Kennedy said, "The cost of freedom
is always high, but Americans have always paid it." Committing
to this cause of freedom in Christ will cost Christians their comfort
zones. We must pay the price. Yet, we must remember that it cost
the Author of true liberty His life on a cross. Whatever may come,
our unchanging response lies in Samuel Smith's words in the beloved
song, "My Country 'Tis of Thee" that proclaims, "
. . . From every mountainside, let freedom ring!" If we are
to be "free indeed," the Bible teaches we must find that
freedom in none other than God's Son, Jesus Christ.
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