Celebrating Freedom Well

I'm not very patriotic. I used to think that patriotism only bothered me in the U.S., but that's a lie. I don't like patriotism in other countries any more than I like it here in the good ol' U. S. of A. 

If you want to know more about it, you can ask some other time. It basically boils down to my conviction that we should be aligning ourselves with Christ's Kingdom instead of a country. It's nice to know that I don't just dislike America. I dislike nationalism in general. My devotion and loyalty go to Jesus, not America or Ghana or any Eastern European country. 

But I do like freedom. I think it's good for countries to rejoice and celebrate their freedom. Freedom is good. God values freedom, and he offers it to us.

"For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17)

"So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." (John 8:36)

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
   for the Lord has anointed me
   to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
   and to proclaim that captives will be released
   and prisoners will be freed.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
   that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
   and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
   he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
   a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
   festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
   that the Lord has planted for his own glory." (Isaiah 61:1-3)

"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love." (Galatians 5:13)

I love freedom, and I want us to celebrate it well on Independence Day (whether that's the Fourth of July or the Sixth of March or any other day). 

But I don't want it to be a day to binge on good food, sit at the lake, watch the fireworks, enjoy friends and family, and simply soak in the traditions. I want it to be more. 

We are free. We are free as a nation, and if we are in Christ, we are truly free. 

But not everyone is free. 

There are 27 million people trapped in slavery around the world today. 

My desire for celebrating freedom well on our Independence Days is to acknowledge that not everyone is free, to create awareness, and to do something about it. What better way is there to celebrate freedom than to fight for the freedom of others?

I am nowhere near an expert on slavery and freedom. But there are resources that are helping me to become more aware, and they provide clear opportunities to help bring freedom to others. 

There's the End It Movement.

There's Made In a Free World.

And they create videos like these:

Maybe you have different resources to share. Please share them.

There are people with significant needs, and we have the opportunity and the responsibility to fight for them. We just need to be informed first. We need to listen to God and use our freedom to serve one another in love.

How will you celebrate freedom this year? Are you willing to fight for it?