It’s For Freedom, He Set Us Free!
Juneteenth is now an official federal holiday. More and more discussion is centering around slavery in the United States. One of the arguments used during the time of slavery in this nation was that the slaves were ignorant and could not survive on their own. This of course ignored the obvious that they were taken from their native land and tongue and intermingled with others who did not share their home of origin or tongue. They were beaten, starved, and de-humanized in every way possible with the end in mind of becoming serviceable to their masters, to whom they were bound to for the essentials of survival. Sadly, many of these slave masters used the Bible to justify their horrendous treatment of the slaves.
Yet, this kind of behavior was not perpetuated in the scriptures. To the contrary:
Brothers and sisters, God has called you to freedom! Hear the call, and do not spoil this gift byusing your liberty to engage in what your flesh desires; instead, use it to serve each other as Jesus taught through love. Galatians 5:13 (The Voice)
God has no desire to see any of us either perish, or be in bondage. He has called us to freedom as HIs sons and daughters. Of course the price for this freedom was hard won, through the death of His Son. Therefore, we should not receive it carelessly. For along with the liberty, comes a “call” to walk in the integrity of this love. To not be yielding our members to every kind of will or fantasy, but to yield our hearts to God. And we never forget who God is – God is love. God is love and Jesus taught through love, we must do the same.
The world is looking to refute the capacity of anyone to love those who do not fit in their own community. They are looking to be disappointed by not only their enemy, but allso those they seek to please. They are looking for a way to deny that unconditional love exists among mankind today.
Will you be the one? The one who has been set free with the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free? Will you allow the Holy Spirit who has been given to us to continue teaching the words of liberty – the words of love…
Maria