July 1st

Isaiah 61: 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

 

Liberty, deliverance, release…..all of these words are used in various translations of the Bible. The one that rings truest is freedom. How we Americans love that word freedom! This weekend we will celebrate our freedom from the crown. We celebrate our freedom to speak, to live without fear of Government, to own property, we celebrate our freedom to worship. The list is quite endless as to what all our freedom encompasses. Freedom is sweet, it was sought after, fought for, and violently maintained since the vote on July 4^th, 1776. As a result we now live in a free Country, and a free society. Our every want is at our fingertips. Life has really become so simplified for us, that we are at the point where we take our freedom for granted. It is just expected. We do not go to the store worried about a bomb going off, we speak out against our Government when we do not agree, and we are not drug off to prison. Life is good.

 

This weekend let’s make it a point to celebrate that freedom, but most importantly let us celebrate our freedom given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That freedom can never be taken, it is sweeter than any other freedom we enjoy today. It is a freedom that has been sought after, fought for, and it came at a very violent price. Yet just like the freedoms enjoyed in this great Country, I fear that many today take the freedom bought with blood for granted. Today more than ever the majority of people believe that we are all just going to go to heaven, there is no hell, and if we will all just be nice, Christ is going to be a very happy person upon his return. While I wish that was the case, I fear, and I am willing to bet it is not. This weekend, while we eat hot dogs, go to a concert, the beach, or a dip in the pool, and enjoy whatever fireworks/ laser light show (burn ban fireworks) is offered in your area, take some time to reflect on the price paid to give us the freedom we enjoy today. The price paid by our fine men and women in uniform for our Countries freedom, and the price paid by our Savior for our eternal freedom.

 

Though society might like us to think that we all have our ticket punched, and we all have a ticket to ride, I call on each person who reads this to take up the calling of Isaiah. Proclaim the good news to the poor, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners. You see we might live in this free Country, yet many are not free spiritually. Today more than ever we have to take that message for freedom to those around us. Could you imagine if our founding fathers declared our freedom, but never told anyone else? I would think that around ten would be tea time today. That is the thing about freedom, it is at its strongest when it is passed along. When kept for ourselves it is as worthless as a thousand dollar bill that can never be spent. To borrow a term, we must set the brushfires of freedom. We must carry the good news to all who will listen, and encourage that news to carry across this great Country to each and every free individual, so that the Good News might spill over across oceans, into Continents that have never heard of the sweet freedom of Christ.

 

So celebrate this weekend! Enjoy the freedom that comes with living in the U.S.A. and celebrate the freedom of your soul. Shout it from the rooftops, share it with your friends, light your world up with The Light Of The World! Search out the brokenhearted, the captives, and the prisoners, and share with them the freedom of the good news.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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The Ridge Fellowship

 

Psalm22