"Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the LORD your God and turn away from Him and worship gods you have not known before. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NLT)
July 4th is a day we celebrate freedom in the United States of America. The declaration of Independence was signed. We declared that we were free. This principle of freedom is one we all hold near and dear to our hearts. We are free to choose - free to live as we please.
The founding fathers of this country clearly understood, though, that our freedom is given to us under the authority of another. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
God gives us the right to choose. He gives us freedom. Our political bands were dissolved and we became our own governmental system, taking "the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" entitled us to take. We became our own nation, saying we were empowered by God to do such an act.
As we celebrate freedom, though, remember that God clearly tells us over and over again that there are consequences for our actions. We are free to choose, but in choosing we select blessing or curses from God for the choices we make.
Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. (Romans 6:15-16 NLT)
Enjoy the freedom He's given you.
Use that freedom to follow Him.
Choose a blessing.
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