Stand Firm in Freedom

I have often thought that the Bible is so practical we can sometimes miss its deeper purpose and misunderstand its message.

I grew up on a dairy farm about half a mile from a touch-and-go practice field used by aircraft carrier jets. At times, I would climb our 70-foot silos for maintenance or while they were being filled. From the top, I could wave to the pilots as they flew past during their practice runs. Because we operated a retail store on the farm, the property was open to the public. One day, a man visiting with his family stopped and introduced himself.

"Hi," he said. "I feel like we've already met because I've waved at you many times from the jet I fly."

We enjoyed a wonderful conversation, and I thanked him for his service to our country. He mentioned that he sometimes worried about how much noise the jets made as they flew overhead.

I smiled and replied, "To me, that's the greatest sound of freedom."

That simple conversation turned into a discussion about the price of freedom and the sacrifices required to preserve it.

Over the years, I have reflected on that encounter many times. At first, it simply felt like a special connection made possible by a smile and a wave from the top of a silo. But about ten years later, when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, that conversation took on an entirely new meaning.

The freedom we spoke about that day pointed me to a much greater freedom.

Galatians 5:1 says:  "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."

Freedom always comes at a cost. Men and women have sacrificed greatly to preserve our nation's freedom. Yet the freedom Christ purchased for us came at an even greater price—the sacrifice of His own life.

Because of His sacrifice, we have been set free from the bondage of sin. But Paul also reminds us that we must "keep standing firm."  Freedom is not something we take for granted.

For me, that carries two important truths.

First, there is a battle to fight against the things that once held me captive.

Second, there is great joy in living in the freedom Christ has given me and remaining free from what once enslaved me.

Paul shared this same perspective with Timothy:  "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier." (2 Timothy 2:3–4)

Most believers would likely agree with these verses. Yet this is where the challenge begins.

The world we were delivered from has not disappeared. The same influences, temptations, and patterns of thinking that once held us captive still surround us. They continue to pull at our hearts and invite us back under the yoke from which Christ has already set us free.

This is where the Bible becomes intensely practical.

There are ways of thinking I left behind when I became a follower of Jesus Christ. Today, I am often told that some of those things are no longer wrong or that resisting them is somehow unloving or lacking compassion. Yet the longer I walk with Christ, the more clearly I recognize the difference between the freedom He offers and the bondage the world continues to embrace.

My greatest appeal to the generations that come after me is the same appeal I once heard from my great-grandfather.

If Christ has made you free, stay close to the One who set you free.

Remain in a personal relationship with Jesus. Know Him. Walk by faith in Him. Stay grounded in His Word.

Hold firmly to the freedom He purchased for you, even if it costs you the approval of the world…or even your physical life.

For eternal life with Jesus Christ is far greater than anything this world could ever offer in exchange.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Dan