26th September 2023
The price of freedom
I was reading about the unwanted fame of a well-known musician. He was in shell shock, they said. He never wanted this sort of attention. His freedom was taken away; he spent much of his time hidden in a room away from the outside world; the world that he longed to enter. There was nothing but noise and the screaming from his fans, who would jump on his car, look in his windows, and try to find ways to enter his world by force; and then there were the death threats. Fame is not all that it is made up to be.
It reminds me of what Jesus went through in his ministry. The fame of what he could do was forefront in the minds of all, such as healing the sick, casting out demons, and feeding the multitudes. He drew the crowds, very large crowds. He no longer found time for himself. They hungered for what he could do for them. He had to go out by dark to a quiet place and speak to his Father and God. He must have longed for the quiet times he spent with his family in his youth. And then there were the death threats that came from those he came to save. Fame can be a hindrance and the stealer of our freedom.
What was the cost of our freedom? As Jesus gave up his freedom, he did this so that you and I could be free. We often take our freedom for granted until it is taken away. So, what is this freedom given to us by Christ? There was the physical freedom that the children of Israel were granted by God when enslaved in Egypt, but our freedom goes much deeper than that. We have been given certain freedoms such as in what we can eat and the days we keep as special, but this is not to be used as a freedom to harm others in any way, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 8:9.
1 Peter 1:2 (TLB) tells us: ‘Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children. And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please him. May God bless you richly and grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.’ Freedom from worry and fear, freedom from sin and death (Romans 6:18, 22; 8:2, 20-21). Wherever Christ is there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). All of these freedoms cost Jesus Christ his own perfect human life, but he was more than willing to do so in order to save us.
As I travel along our highway, there is a sign that states: “Freedom Is Not Free”. There is always a price to pay, and our loving Saviour paid it all for us. We were slaves to sin, and now we are set free, free to be who God had made us to be. We had some calves in the barn and when they were set free to be in the sun for the first time, they ran and jumped and kicked up their heels. They were free to enjoy life as it was meant to be. We are now free to be who God meant us to be. Free to enjoy this life with our God and Saviour. As Martin Luther King said on 28 August 1963 “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I am free at last.”
Prayer
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your gift of life and the freedoms you have given us in it. It is a freedom that has cost you a great price, but one you were willing to pay to have us right with you. Help us to not take this freedom for granted but to use it to represent the God of mercy and grace that you are. We thank you and praise you, in Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Anne Gillam
About the writer:
Anne Gillam is a retired Pastor in Grace Communion International, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA.
Local congregation:
You are welcome to attend one of our local church congregations located throughout the UK and Ireland. For details of your nearest local congregation check on our website, Grace Communion International | Grace Communion International under the ‘Churches’ tab, or ring +44 (0)1858 437099.
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church