Memorial Day

As I waited at the gate for my flight, I heard an unusual announcement over the speaker. Instead of the usual flight departing notices, this one held a somber note. The announcer asked that if our flight times permitted, to please make our way to a different gate and honor a fallen soldier as he arrived on an incoming flight. We watched through the window as the flag-draped coffin was transported from the plane to an awaiting vehicle.

I think of that scene each Memorial Day. That soldier paid the ultimate price to protect the freedoms we enjoy every day. Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember all those who died to defend our freedom - the men and women of our country who fought bravely because they believed our liberty is worth dying for. I'm thankful for a day to pause and remember their sacrifice. The day provides a reminder to not take what we have for granted.

And each Memorial Day, I also think of what freedoms our Savior secured for us through His death on the cross. He, like the soldier I saw that day, shed His blood for me. However, unlike the man I saw at the airport, Jesus secures my eternal freedom. He offers a liberty that transcends this life and offers me eternity with Him in heaven.

Scripture reminds of the freedoms Christ secured for us. In John 8:36, Jesus promises, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." Second Corinthians 3:17 continues the subject of freedom. "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

If Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom, we should walk as though we are truly free. Psalm 119:45 reminds us, "And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts." Notice that the psalmist experiences freedom as he studies and applies God's Word.

This is how we can walk in the freedom Christ purchased for us. As we study Scripture and apply it to our lives, we experience a freedom in all areas of life...in our relationships, our finances, our health, and in our walk with God. We experience His joy and peace that only comes through time in His presence.

Today as we reflect on those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedoms, let us take time to ask God where He wants us to walk in greater freedom. As we study God's Word, He will show us the ways He wants us to experience the fullness of our natural and spiritual freedoms. Let us not waste a precious drop of blood shed to secure them for us.