FREEDOM!!!

     On this Independence Day weekend we celebrate this country’s independence from Great Britain.  The cost of that freedom was high.  Lives were lost and blood was shed to earn that freedom.  And the cost of maintaining that freedom is still high.  Service men and women put their lives on the line, some of them giving the ultimate sacrifice, for this country so that all who come to this country may be free within its borders.  One would agree that it would not make much sense to, once we’re free, to turn back to those who kept us enslaved only to become enslaved again.

     Likewise, Jesus Christ shed His blood and gave His life so that we could be free in Him.    Free from the power of sin.  In Christ, we no longer have to submit to sin’s plea.  Sin will no longer be our master.  Outside of Christ, people are slaves to sin.  Like it or not.  It is true.  Sin appeals to your flesh – your mortal body.  That is where the “if it feels good, do it” mentality comes from.  Sin is nothing more than Satan’s power.  And those who are slaves to sin make themselves nothing more than Satan’s tools.

     If you are in Christ, then sin should not have dominion over your life.  It will still “talk big” and try to intimidate you to yield, but you have power over it.  Jesus Christ has given you this power when you accepted Him as your Savior and made Him Lord of your life.  If you have not accepted Jesus’ invitation to forgiveness and eternal life and given control of your life to Christ-Don’t be a tool for Satan to use and abuse.  Turn to Jesus now – while you still can.

     And to the Christian, what about financial debt?  How many of us have paid off a credit card, car loan, mortgage, or whatever to just willingly go back into debt to the same people?  Proverbs 22:7 tells us, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”  Why do we work?  One might say “to pay our bills”.  And they would be correct.  But why do we have bills to pay?  God says in Deuteronomy 15:6 that we are to lend to many but borrow from none.  We have to buy goods and services to live.  No one is debating that.  But when we have to borrow money (and credit cards are borrowing money) to buy goods and services we are living beyond our means.  I know there are always extenuating circumstances and emergencies.  Most circumstances we can save up for while others we may need some help.  But for the most part we, as a people, are living beyond our means.  If we were not in financial debt to anyone the economy can do whatever it wants but our personal economy would be secure.  Most people can identify with me all too well when I say that debt collectors do not care much about your mental stability and emotional well-being if you’re late paying their bill.  They will write you weekly, email you daily, and call you and any friends or relatives you have listed as references innumerable times to collect payment.  Even the banks we use will charge you more of what they know you don’t have as a penalty for not having it if you overdraft your account.  When it comes down to it, there is no peace of mind for those who live beyond their means.  Slaves work for their masters.  And when we work to pay master card, we are making the card our master.  We should be working for Jesus and calling Him master, not our cards.

     It is time we declared freedom from our oppressors!  Become debt free and stay that way.  Cut up those credit cards.  Cancel those lines of credit so that no one else uses your account to live beyond their means.  And cut our spending so we can be at peace.  Maybe the government will follow our example one day.  Ha ha!  We could always hope.