Walk in Freedom

This weekend we celebrate our freedom as a nation. It’s important that we remember that freedom and liberty are not values shared by every country. In fact it is rare in history for people to be free and to enjoy liberty for decades at a time. Our tendency is to be like the Israelites on the way to the Promised Land pleading to go back into slavery.

It’s true politically and it’s true spiritually. While Christ died and rose again to set us free from sin we often find ourselves walking backward into slavery to sin. It is almost as if we are afraid of freedom, as if the mere thought of living without bonds makes us nervous and anxious. At least in slavery we know where we stand and the boundaries of existence are finite. In full liberty we can explore the unknown and venture into the previously undone, but we are also going into the unknown and attempting that which has never been done. It can be exciting and frightening at the same time.

If we were walking into full freedom alone our trepidation would be understandable. But we do not walk alone. Jesus is with us always, alongside us for every stride. So step into freedom without fear and don’t look back. Don’t fall for the temptation of seeming safety that is actually captivity. We do not walk alone into the future. He will never leave us nor forsake us.