Freedom and the Day after 4 July

I sure hope you had a great Independence Day! I got to thinking what it must have been like the days immediately after the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Revolutionary War had been in progress for a little over a year with events like the Boston Tea Party, the Stamp Act, and Paul Revere’s crying that the Redcoats are coming. The American patriots were committed to their quest and the Declaration of Independence was a statement to the world regarding this commitment – “give me liberty or give me death!”

This takes me back to some reflection time I had on Tuesday of this week thinking what it must have been like on July 5, 1776, the day after the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen colonies were now independent states. These words, words that have changed the world, must have been ringing through the minds and hearts of these new Americans: “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.” Independence had been declared to go along with the fight for freedom that was already in process.

Friends, I contend that the fight for freedom did not begin or end right there, because the fight for freedom is an eternal fight! God wants us each and everyone to be free, and this is precisely why He sent us Jesus. As Jesus said in John 8, it is Truth that sets us free. And then again in John 14, that He alone is Truth, sent from God the Father!

Just as freedom did not begin on July 4, 1776, it certainly did not end with the Declaration of Independence either…not by a long shot! The Revolutionary War continued for another 7-plus years, but the struggle for freedom continues today against those who despise the notion that all indeed are created equally. This fight, 235 years and counting, is one that we are continually waging in our nation and across the world. Whether it is fighting terrorism across the globe or disagreeing with a jury’s verdict here at home, we are working and fighting to ensure that we all indeed can enjoy the Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong. So what are we to do?

I believe we are to continue in the struggle for freedom, remembering those who have gone on before us, and fighting for those who are yet to come. This is the sentiment that was expressed by the writer of the Book of Hebrews who wrote, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12.1-2a) While we are engaged in the struggle for freedom, it is essential that we do not get distracted and keep our eyes fixed firmly upon the One who secured our freedom for God in the first place – Jesus. And as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, remembering those for whom we struggle. This requires us to acknowledge the responsibility we have to live free lives and help others know the freedom that is available in Jesus Christ.

I thank God for the gift of freedom; for the freedom that comes in Jesus; for the freedom we enjoy in this nation; and for the freedom I have to help others realize that freedom is theirs, too. May we all keep our eyes fixed on Jesus! May we all know that He is Truth and it is Truth that sets us free! And from the days immediately following the 4th of July until we are united with the Lord in heaven, may we do all in our might to live and be free for self, God, and others!