IT'S FREEDOM DAY

Today we celebrate the 4th of July, like William Wallace in Braveheart we proudly scream "FREEDOOOOOM" across the United States. I will very much be one of those people, but as we celebrate, I think we should take a moment to ask ourselves, how are we using our freedom?

In the United States we have the wonderful luxury of the freedom to express and share our religion. But across the world, it looks quite different, every single day across the globe:

• 13 Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith.
• 12 Churches or Christian buildings are attacked.
• 12 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, and another 5 are abducted.



We have a unique and wonderful set of freedoms in this country, but like Jesus' parable of the talents it begs the question, what are we doing with that freedom? And further, what SHOULD we be doing with it? I'd like to take a brief look at the life of Moses to explore that question.. Moses' life can really be broken down into three phases of freedom of which I believe we also find ourselves in throughout life, so lets dive in. (If you're unfamiliar with the story of Moses, check out this video from The Bible Project)

1 - The Misuse of Freedom (Exodus 2:11-15)

Towards the beginning of Moses' life, about the first 40 years, while the rest of his people were enslaved in Egypt, Moses was enjoying the life of a prince. He was given the unique gift of freedom, something none of his people were experiencing at the time. So, how did he use it? Moses lived as the lord of his own life, doing things his own way and considering himself judge, jury, and executioner. In an act of rage, he killed an Egyptian for abusing one of his people, and then tried to hide it. In the same way, how often do we find ourselves using freedom as an excuse to be lord of our own lives? How often do we take our freedom for granted, living however we want, covering it up, and asking forgiveness later? This is the area we often find ourselves in towards the beginning of our walks with Christ, but often we then move on to the second stage..

2 - The Waste of Freedom (Exodus 2:16-22)

After Moses kills the Egyptian, he repents and flees, going to live the life of a quiet shepherd for 40 years. He gets married, settles down, and he's content to just live his free life on a farm with a wife and kids.. It almost sounds like the American Dream, before we had such a thing. Interestingly enough, I think that dream often becomes the nightmare that keeps us in a state of wasted freedom. Moses may not be doing anything bad anymore, but he isn't really using his freedom to do much good, either.. Sound familiar? Many of us in our lives reach a point of stagnation in our faith where we say "Okay, Jesus is my savior, I'm not regularly doing anything on a daily basis that I KNOW is wrong, so I'm good, right?" But there is so much more to life! We were made for so much more than just settling down. Just because you are not doing wrong, doesn't mean you are where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to do. Fortunately, the next 40 years of Moses' life show us how to live..

3 - The Sharing of Freedom (Exodus 3:10-12)

Eventually, Moses has an encounter with God that changes everything. God tells Moses that He wants him to go back to Egypt, to lead his people out of slavery and into freedom. And while it is a tumultuous journey, with parted seas and some nasty insects, Moses leads God's people out of Egypt and into freedom. Likewise, THIS my friends, is what we were called to do with our freedom! We were meant to use our freedom to lead others into it! You have been set free in Christ, and you have the freedom to tell others about it, lead them into the same freedom! Freedom is a gift, but it comes with a weight, my prayer is that we would carry the Weight of Freedom with grace and urgency. As we celebrate today, I challenge you to ask yourself, "How am I using my freedom in Christ to lead others into it?" And spend the rest of this year answering that question with the way that you live.

“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom." - Galatians 5:13-15 MSG

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