Just a Thought about Freedom

July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. I like it for a lot of reasons just like you! I like the swimming, grilling, eating, swimming, grilling, etc... (you get the point). Anyway, even though there are lots of reasons to celebrate, we have to remember that our freedom isn't free. It comes with a cost. I think about men like my great uncle who fought in WWII and other family members who served in the armed forces and those thousands and thousands of other who currently serve in the armed forces. We're it not for there present service and past sacrifice, we would not have freedom.

In the same way that our armed forces have insured our freedom, the Lord Jesus secured our freedom from sin when he died and rose again. Salvation is freely offered and freely enjoyed in much the same way our freedoms are freely offered and freely enjoyed. Just because I can pretty much go and do what I want to, doesn't mean that I should treat that freedom with contempt or ever think that it is just given. The fact is that in our salvation and in the freedoms we enjoy as American citizens, both were secured with a very high price. My salvation was purchased with the blood of Jesus. My freedoms were purchased with the blood of soldiers. With that knowledge, how can we neglect so great a salvation or neglect such a great country?