“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8:36 NLT)
Working ahead one morning this week, I opened up my computer to search for a passage to draft a meditation for a future meditation, but I was delayed by an announcement that on June 19, 2021, we will have a new national holiday, Juneteenth! There was an added comment in the announcement that there was still more work to be done. That’s definitely true when you consider the efforts of others to turn back the time, such as with state legislators that are resorting to restrict the freedom of citizen’s rights and reignite or cause a resurgence of the pre-civil rights climate in our country . Remember, the work is not done.
The same is true of our Christian lives. On June 19th and every other day to come, we can celebrate that we are truly free. Not only free from the penalty of sin, but free to live victoriously over the power of sin. But as in the area of civil rights and the fight to realize that all men were truly created equal, we have to continue our work. The work is not done. What work? The work of being developed into more mature Christians; the work of staying straightforward on the path of sanctification; the work of winning lost souls, bringing them out of the darkness and into the light; the work of standing up and fulfilling Jesus’ commandment to love one another. Yes, loving the unlovable is always a challenge, but don’t let that undo your commitment to obey the Lord. Pray for our country and pray for every citizen of heaven living on this earth. Pray that every single day, we will rejoice in the fact that we are free indeed. Have a great Saturday and be mindful of the new holiday, but don’t take the day off spiritually. Show up at worship at your local church tomorrow, physically or virtually. Revisit the song we use to sing to the top of our lungs in the sanctuary often in days past, not just letting words come out of our mouths, but declaring the truth expressed in the lyrics in a personal way, be you red, yellow, brown, black, or white. “I’m free, praise the Lord I’m free! No longer bound, no more chains holding me! My soul is resting. It’s such a blessing. Praise the Lord, hallelujah I’m free”…June 19th and every day to come! Be blessed!
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Amplified Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King