Today is the 4th of July or Independence Day. It is a holiday for many folks. Many will crowd the beaches or another happy place. Many will gather with family or friends for picnics, cookouts, and the like. Some will seek a good view of fireworks lighting up the sky. While today is a holiday, there will a myriad of activities going on. As you engage in it all, I encourage you to take a moment to consider what Independence Day is really about: freedom.
In the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, 242 years ago a group of men gathered together and signed
their name that they and the colonies they represented were declaring they were
independent and free from their mother country, England. It was a bold move to say the least. The civil authorities at the time might have said that it was treason. Putting their lives and families at risk,
these patriots made their bold stance.
Freedom is free, but it does not come cheap. Cemeteries like Arlington Cemetery and
national cemeteries like the one in nearby Salisbury hold the remains of men
and women who answered their country’s call for service and served at duty
stations near and far. Today as we enjoy
the amusements of another Independence Day,
men and women do their duty to protect us from threats foreign and
domestic.
Likewise, while the gift of our salvation is free, it also comes at a
heavy price for “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Christ willingly and gladly made the
sacrifice of himself for the sins of the whole world. We live in that salvation, and are called
to share it with others through word and deed.
Enjoy, my friends, the opportunities this day offers. Enjoy your freedoms this day and
everyday. But never forget that others
paid a price for the freedoms we know in this country and the salvation we know
in Christ Jesus. Have a joy-filled day
and week.- Pastor Randy Wall
Prayer: O God,
thank you for the freedoms we enjoy as
citizens of the kingdom of heaven and citizens of this country. Help me to live my life in gratitude for
all that you and others have given; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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