With the recent celebration of July 4th, there is a word that has been sticking in my mind.  It is a word that I've definitely known for a long time and spoken many times, but never really connected with until this point.  That word is "freedom."  Freedom is an amazing word!  Especially when it comes to the kind of freedom that Jesus has made possible for all people.

Sin is an ugly thing.  It causes confusion.  Relationships are destroyed by it.  People's spirits are crushed under its selfish agenda.  It creates violence.  The devil deceives and misleads by it.  It results in death.  You get the idea.  I hate sin.  Hear me on this...I don't hate people...I hate sin.  We are all sinners.  I am not above it either.  I hate the destruction that sin causes in our world.  Even more, I hate the destruction my sin has caused in our world.  This is why freedom is such a sweet word for me.

This is the ultimate victory won for freedom: Jesus died, and He took our sin so it could die with Him too.  All that junk that sin does in our world...I'm freed from it...it no longer reigns over me relentlessly.  Sure, I still make mistakes, I still sin.  However, the word "freed" in Romans 6:7 means to declare someone righteous and to exercise righteousness.  I'm freed in the sense that God sees me as a clean person... as a righteous person, thanks to Jesus.  I'm also freed in the sense that I'm no longer under sin's mastery...I am given the opportunity to exercise righteousness...to bless the world rather than tear it down more.

Living for Jesus Christ is the greatest privilage that we could ever experience.  James 1:25 is so true!  As I was sitting in our Sunday Morning Worship Service this past week, I was just thinking about it.  "I'm free.  I have nothing holding me back.  My eternity is secured in Christ.  My present is blessed because of His work in my life.  The pains of the past have died."  Wow, what a wonderful feeling it is!

I hope that you can relate to what I'm talking about.  This is the promise of God.  This is salvation.  "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."  (John 3:17).  See the Lord today.  Find freedom!