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It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

It was on July 4, 1776, that our Declaration of Independence was adopted. We celebrate our freedom. Can you imagine the forefathers of the United States, after the Revolutionary War, going back to Great Britain and saying, “We want to be your colony again?” The same would hold true for someone who was held in slavery by a cruel master. Is there any way they would, after they had been set free, go back to that master? Of course not.

Yet, this does sometimes happen in a spiritual sense. Jesus Christ came to this earth to set us free from slavery to sin. By nature, sin had an unshakeable hold on us. Because of that sin, we deserve to spend our eternity apart from God. Jesus rescued us; he set us free from our sins. He did so by living a perfect life in our place. To pay our debt of sin, Jesus willingly went to the cross, where he was punished in our place. To show us beyond any shadow of a doubt that we had been set free, Jesus rose from the dead. We are free!

Now, we can serve our God in thankfulness for all he has done for us. Yet, those old sins are still there, tempting us. It is so easy to listen to their luring voices. Soon, we find ourselves trapped, enslaved in those same old sins. When we encounter them, we come to God and ask for his forgiveness. We know that he forgives us because of what Jesus has done for us. Then we ask God for his help and strength, so we do not allow ourselves to become enslaved to those sins. With his help and guidance, we can say “No!” to those temptations.

Celebrate your freedom as you live for Christ, who loves you so very much.

Dear Jesus, you went to the cross to free me from my sin. Give me the strength to live free from the sins that are so tempting to me. Let my whole life be a shining light to your glory. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.