Liberty is that state of freedom in which a person may harness his destiny in God’s providence or wreck himself upon the rocks of self-centerness.  It was Yeshua who bought freedom for Mankind by His shed blood on the cross.  “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.” (Gal.  5: 1).  The Pilgrims left Europe seeking a country where they could worship God in freedom, free from persecution and doctrines of men.  They came to America by His grace and favor.  This foundation of religious freedom is the first principle in our Constitution and clear in the declaration of 

independence that rights and freedom flow from God, rather than leaders of men or government.  One nation under God with liberty and justice for all, with a government of the people and for the people.

I heard two very different stories recently about liberty.  The first was a story that fashioned men as slaves with the notion that physical labor to rich oil sheiks was essentially slavery. Men had left their homeland of Kenya and other nations looking for work and found employment in Qatar.  They described liberty not as the free exercise of their will, but as being able to have enough money to do as they wished all the time.  They didn’t value their own labor, nor work for any purpose other than their own self-seeking.  The next story was of the making of Statue of Liberty.  How the people of France so admired the ideal of freedom in America that they gave 600,000 francs to create a gift to the American people symbolizing the light of liberty that shines to the nations of the world, in the hope that France would one day have liberty as well.

Irrespective of history revisionists, the Word of God is a beacon of freedom for those who hear.  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4: 18-19). Believers are the standard bearers of freedom even in a tyrannical society.  “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.  Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.  Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2: 15-17).  It may be that the greatest church on earth today is the underground church in Communist China.  Without the truth of God’s Word and faith in Messiah Yeshua any people or nation will have lost its way to liberty.  May God preserve the light of liberty in America that it may continue to reflect God’s love and gospel to all nations.