Freedom

This freedom

which we enjoy

did not originate with

the Founding Fathers.

- - -

This great boon of freedom

and respect,

for the dignity of man,

came as a gift from

the Creator.

~ Ezra Taft Benson

“May we think of freedom not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.”

~ Peter Marshall

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must,

like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”

~ Thomas Paine

“Christian freedom does not mean being free to do as we like; it means being free to do as we ought.”

~ William Barclay

“For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

~ Robert D. Hales

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. 

With freedom comes responsibility.”

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“Freedom is never given.  It is won.”

~ Philip Randolph

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

May we never forget freedom isn’t free.

“For to be free is not really to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

~ Nelson Mandela

Freedom is not the right to do anything.

Freedom is the right to do the correct thing.

And as we celebrate Independence Day for our country today, may we also give thanks for our personal freedom that comes from knowing Jesus.  John reminds us that when we know Jesus, the Truth, the truth will set us free.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Romans 6:22

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:13

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Ephesians 3:12

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 9:15

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:25

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slave.

1 Peter 2:16

Intentional Training/Modeling/Practicing

“Keep it up mamas -- keep teaching, guiding, setting high expectations.  Keep talking even when they don’t seem to be listening.  And most of all, live it out in front of them.  In our world of cut-throat competition, there’s still room for Godly character.”

~ Kristy Ray Parrott

During this season, we are once again reminded of the importance of intentional training, modeling, and offering opportunities to our children, grandchildren, and others to put into practice what is being taught.  May the lessons be so instilled in their hearts and minds, that they become the natural response when situations arise.

Abel Mutai from Kenya and Ivan Fernandez Anaya, a Spanish runner, were in first and second place in the running race.  Mutai was the bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, at the London Olympics, so being in second place in the race was quite a feat for Anaya.  As the runners were approaching the end of the race, Ivan noticed that Mutai started slowing down about 10 meters short of the Finish Line.  Due to confusing signage, he thought he had completed and won the race.  Realizing what was happening, this could have been Anaya’s big chance to run ahead and win the race.  Instead, he caught up with Mutai and yelled at him to keep running.  Not understanding Spanish, Mutai was still perplexed about what to do.  Anaya continued to wave his arms, gesture, and point his opponent to the real Finish Line.  As they ran together, Anaya allowed Mutai to cross first.

When interviewed and asked about his response, Ivan Fernandez Anaya responded, “He was the rightful winner.  He created a gap that I couldn’t have closed if he hadn’t made a mistake.  As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I wasn’t going to pass him.”  Another journalist asked Ivan why he did that.  Ivan replied, “My dream is that someday we can have that kind of community life.”  The journalist pressed on and still wanted to know why he let the Kenyan win.  Ivan responded, “I didn’t let him win, he was going to win.”  The journalist looked at him and said, “But you could have won!”  Anaya looked at him and then responded, “But what would the merit be of my victory?  What would be the honour of that medal?  What would my Mom think of that?”

Values are instilled, modeled, and lived out from generation to generation.  The ways we invest in and teach our children, grandchildren, and others has the potential for making a difference in our world for these days and the years beyond.  If we are not intentionally teaching our children God’s way, the world will step in and teach them its ways.  Which voice will they hear louder, when decisions need to be made?

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Start children off the way they should go,

     and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4

Do Something

“Do the best you can until you know better.

Then, when you know better, do better.”

~ Maya Angelou

Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee recounts the story of an 11-year-old girl who visited Yad V’shen, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, for the first time.  The parents debated if their daughter was old enough to grasp the significance of the displays, vivid pictures, films, and audio reports and how it might affect her.  It was decided that the father would stay with the young girl so he could assess her reactions and take her out, if he deemed it best.  The child was speechless as she went from room to room.  At times, she would reach up and take her father’s hand, but still without saying anything.  As the tour came to an end, there was a guestbook to sign.  The young girl reached in her father’s pocket and retrieved his pen.  She wrote down her name and address.  There was also a space for comments.  As her father peered over her shoulder, he saw his daughter write, “Why didn’t somebody do something?”  Sarah Huckabee then put the pen back in her father’s pocket and they left the museum in silence.  Governor Huckabee concluded, “Let it never happen that someday some father would have to hear his daughter ask the question: “Why didn’t somebody do something?”

Years later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders recounted that, “A visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem as a child served as a reminder of what can happen when good people allow evil to triumph.  Christians should never, ever, ever allow that to be them.  God calls each of us to take a stand against evil and a stand for what is right.”

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ~ Edmund Burke

During these days, as we are learning and growing, may we…

* pray as our first line of defense, rather than our last resort

* read, study, and apply God’s Word

* listen carefully

* respond in love

* research

* act when prompted

* exhibit patience

* have a teachable spirit

* make right when we are wrong

* never give up or stop learning

* do something

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

     And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

Search me, God, and know my heart;

     test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

     and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

Learn to do right; seek justice.

     Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

     plead the case of the widow.

Isaiah 1:17

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

John 13:34

Do everything in love.

1 Corinthians 16:14

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” says the Lord. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:17-19, 21