In the sovereign plan of God we are privileged to live in the United States of America. As God unfolded His sovereign plan in time, a group of men met in Philadelphia between June 7 and August 2, 1776, to finalize and sign the declaration of independence. Congress declared our independence from the entanglement of British rule on July 2nd and Congress adopted the declaration of independence on July 4th. The fourth of July celebrated in our American history is about liberty.
We thank God that His plan included the privilege of being an American citizen so that we could enjoy the liberty provided for us. Liberty is not just political, it is also spiritual. The liberty provided by the Lord Jesus Christ is not geographically defined nor is limited to one nation. The liberty provided by our Savior transcends every boundary of geography, culture, economics, and nationality. Christ’s liberty is available to all who by faith receive His free gift of eternal life. When writing to the Galatian church, the apostle Paul exhorted them to stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and not to be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1). In this exhortation Paul called upon the church to give their whole-hearted allegiance to their Savior who fulfilled the law and who freed them from the law’s demands. Those who stand firm in Christ’s liberty live like servant’s of Christ. According to Galatians 5:13 this means that we are using our liberty to serve one another instead of the selfish desires of our flesh.
On this fourth of July we are not only free politically, we can be free through the redemptive work of Christ for us. May God help us to live like servants of Christ, who are free, who are loyal to Him, who are serving one another.
Happy 4th of July.