"Not Free"

I know, like me, you’ve heard it,

That freedom is not free,

I’d like to say a word or two,

‘Bout what that means to me.

It means first that freedom,

Is our God-given right,

But many throughout history,

Did not see this light.

But rather came against it,

To try to take away,

Or claim that they knew better,

And there would come a day,

When they and people like them,

Would finally take control,

The tyrants and the terrorists,

Of this world mean and bold.

But when they did the worst they could,

When they showed their hand,

The patriots from near and far,

And all throughout our land,

Recognized the threat that came,

The wolf that’s at the door,

And they never, ever faltered,

But faithful to the core,

They fought back for their children,

And for their brothers, too,

They defended freedom,

Did all that they could do.

And so we get the freedom,

As a gift from God above,

But evil men will steal it,

And when push comes to shove,

 It’s those who rise against them,

Draw lines down in the sand,

And say with words and actions,

You cannot take our land.

And so these are the martyrs,

Who died for freedom’s cause,

And that’s why we are saying,

It is not free, and pause,

To celebrate the freedom,

And thank the ones who gave,

Their last final measure,

Our freedoms for to save.

And one last thing I’ll mention,

The same is true in this,

God’s love and salvation,

Is free to all, don’t miss.

The truth is, Jesus bought it,

And died to make it so,

So even with the grace of God,

It’s important that we know,

That freedom, holy, precious,

As rare as it can be,

The cost cannot be measured,

By anyone, you see.

“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom…” (2 Cor. 3:17, NLT)

Freedom is not dependent upon the political system. We are extremely blessed to enjoy the freedoms that this republic has given us. When Paul wrote this, Rome controlled the known world and a huge percentage of people lived in the bondage of slavery. Yet, he claimed that if one had the Holy Spirit, they were free. Pretty powerful statement, don’t you think? And yet, because of the shed blood of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead, the offer is real. Freedom. And the kind that really matters. It’s the freedom that enables us to break the bondage of every habit, addiction, and hurt that we bear. It’s the freedom to become all that the Creator destined us to be. And it happens when God’s presence with us and in us takes priority. Get to know the Holy Spirit. And be free…

Lord, give us the freedom that Your Spirit brings, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.