I was riding in the car a couple years ago with my kids (they were 4 and 2 at the time). The older one, Emma, has a dramatic streak in her, and when we arrived at our destination, she quickly unbuckled her car seat, opened the sliding door, leapt from the mini-van and declared, “I’M FREE, I’M FREE!” Will, the two-year old still strapped in his seat, looked at her like she had two heads and stated matter-of-factly, “No you not. You not free, you four!”
It seems like the idea of freedom has come up a lot for me lately: our group is getting ready to sing at an event called Freedom Fest (July 3rd, Pinellas Park); Debbie just wrote a new song called Free; summer and Fourth of July are coming up when we celebrate the freedoms that come with living in this remarkable country. But I worry sometimes that we put too much hope in government and other institutions to declare our freedom for us. I was listening to a song that lamented that God’s Word is being silenced in our society and shut out of the schoolhouse and the courthouse. While that can certainly be cause for concern, the only way God’s Word can be silenced is if we, as followers of Jesus, don’t speak God’s Word. I don’t think the schoolhouse or the courthouse is God’s chosen vehicle for getting out his message. That work belongs to the church—the body of believers who claim him as Savior. It is our job to get out God’s message of hope, love, and freedom.
What sets us free? The Bible says that it is Truth (John 8). Jesus said I am Truth. It’s like geometry class (which I loved, and yes, I know that makes me a nerd!). If A=B and B=C, then A=C. If Jesus is Truth, and Truth sets us Free, then Jesus sets us Free!
I am always looking for the theological significance in what my kids say. It is important to remember that when we put our hope in Jesus, we are set free from the chains (or seatbelts) that bind us. We need to leap from the mini-van and joyfully declare “I’M FREE!” But also, don’t be surprised when the joker seated next to you looks at you like you have two heads and has no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe he even says, “No you’re not.” 1 Cor 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
We are to love the Lord our God with all that we are, and to love others so that they might find the freedom that only comes from knowing Jesus. Peace.
JEFF