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Enjoy Your Freedom
“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed — that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.”
—The Declaration of Independence
Because many Americans have never known other circumstances, it’s easy to take our liberties for granted. The Israelites knew firsthand the oppression of slavery. Yet when God finally led them out of Egypt, they had problems adjusting to their newfound freedom. Fearful and rebellious, the Israelites grumbled against their leaders, Moses and Aaron, saying they would’ve been better off as slaves in Egypt.
Our freedom as Christians cost Jesus his life. But we, too, often find it easier to fall back into sinful habits.
In Galatians 5:1, Paul offers this encouragement:
“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (NRSV).
We’re no longer bound by sin and death. That “independence” is worth celebrating every day!
A Prayer for July 4
“Almighty and ever-living God, we humbly praise you for the nation in which you have allowed us to live. We cherish its wonder and its beauty. We are thankful for its fruitful lands, its bountiful waters, its great resources and its unlimited opportunities.
We thank you for our founding fathers and mothers, and for their foresight, special wisdom, and steadfast courage in establishing freedom and a lasting document of fairness.
Stir up within each of us the will to be good stewards of all the blessings of the land we love. Amen.”
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