Fences for Freedom
JULY 3, 2020
By Rosella Shishido, Director of Communications
What did one flag say to the other flag? Nothing. It just waved! (lol) Happy Independence Day, America!
Our country is 244 years old this weekend. (Imagine the five generations of your family prior to your grandparents.) It was in 1776 when 56 members of Congress gathered, voted, endorsed, and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. The historic signing of that significant document meant complete independence from Great Britain and gave birth to what we know today as the United States of America. And with that came the freedom to be our own nation.
God also offers us freedom, but a different kind of freedom. It is freedom from the eternal punishment we deserve for sinning against our holy God. We have a natural bent for sin. We’re enslaved to it, in fact. But because of this freedom God offers, we don’t have to go through the punishment due us after we die. This is only possible because Jesus took our place. He took the punishment of our sin. It other words, Jesus has rescued us from the slavery of sin and offers us freedom now and in the life beyond.
That’s what the very familiar John 3:16 verse means:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Unfortunately, many people don’t appreciate this gift because they see God as constraining, particularly His teachings in the Bible. They’re seen as a list of do’s and don’ts. So where’s the freedom in that?
Imagine yourself in a car. Whether you’re the driver or the passenger, you’ll need to wear a seatbelt. You can’t be standing or changing seats inside the car when you have the seatbelt on. Seatbelts keep you in place. Yes, it limits your freedom to move, but it gives you the freedom to feel safe, enjoy the ride, and get to where you’re going in one piece.
Humor me again and imagine yourself getting a puppy. You want him to have a place to run around so you put up a fence in your backyard so your puppy can play within the safety of the fence. You didn’t build the fence to keep the puppy captive, but rather to keep out what could harm it. The fence gives freedom to your puppy to enjoy the space and the safety of your yard.
God’s teachings in the Bible are our boundaries for living. They’re not meant to give us a hard time, but rather to enjoy His blessings in safe and fulfilling ways. Think of them as fences for freedom that will benefit us in the long run.
We protect what we value, don’t we? Well, so does God. You and I are valuable to Him.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank You for only thinking of what’s best for us. We admit that sometimes it’s hard to see that, especially when we don’t get to do things our way. Help us to not resent the fences (aka boundaries for living) you put around us, but instead to embrace the freedom it gives. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Share this with a friend: