Dear Lord Jesus, it's the Fourth of July---a holiday set aside to remember and revel in the freedom we enjoy as citizens of America. I thank you for our country, as broken as she is, and for the  privileges we still enjoy---benefits I don't take for granted, especially considering how much of the world is under siege and under the foot of tyrannical leadership.

     But the gratitude I feel for my citizenship in the USA pales in comparison with the joy generated by my citizenship in heaven (Phil 3:20). I praise you today for making me a member of the "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession"(1 Pet. 2:9). This is my true and lasting identity---my consummate and eternal liberty.

     To be set free by you, Jesus, is to be free indeed (John 8:36). Thank you for setting me free from the guilt of my sin, by taking my place upon your cross. There is now, and never will be, any condemnation left for my disobedience, rebellion and idolatry. Hallelujah! I praise you for freedom over the power of sin, for you have broken its dominion in my life. Never again will it be my master (Rom. 6:14). Hallelujah! I praise you for freedom from the fear of death, for you removed its sting and robbed the grave of its victory. Hallelujah!

     I praise you that I can now obey God from my heart, and not out of pride, pragmatics, or pretense. Hallelujah! I praise you for the freedom to come boldly to the throne of grace, into the very holy of holies, for you have secured this "new and living way" for us. Hallelujah! I praise you for the freedom of repentance, for you have borne my shame and I don't have to pretend or pose anymore. Hallelujah! I praise you for the freedom to risk, instead of rusting the rest of my life---for for life is no longer about performance but about your praise. Hallelujah!

     Jesus, by the power of the gospel, I will seek to stand firm in these and the many more freedoms you've won for us, and I will seek to resist all slaveries until the day you return to finish this magnificent "liberation suite." Hallelujah, what a Savior you are! Hallelujah, what a salvation you freely give us! So very Amen I pray, in your liberating and loving name.