The 4th of July ought to be one our favorite days-we were made for freedom! The happiness and celebration that accompany exploding fireworks ought to be a reflection of the joy inside us who know Jesus personally. I’m not trying to go “all spiritual” on you; I’m trying to help us see reality. We are free!

     Despite the hardships and the challenges that are universal to the human experience, we have the promise of Jesus that he is making all things new…that he will never forsake us…that death is not the end…that even our suffering matters and has significance!

     We’re not enslaved by a fear of death…by a hopeless life of gathering earthly treasures only to leave them behind…by the grief of losing loved ones, never to see them again. We’re not investing ourselves in a life that only has significance for the length of this phase of physical life. The freedom which Jesus bought for us connects this phase of life to the next–everything we do has potential to bring him joy and actually matter. The bottom line: Jesus frees us from a life of insignificance and imbues everything with importance and meaning.

     We’re free! My hope for you this week–and for your whole life–is that you know how free you are, how safe you are, how loved you are by Jesus!