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Freedom
Steve Tiebout stevetiebout@gmail.com
Scripture:
Luke 4:18
I n America we celebrate the idea of freedom and hold it as a high value in our culture. As a father of a veteran, and as an individual who has been to many other countries, I’m grate- ful for those in our military who have given their time, energy, and often their lives to provide freedom for our nation. The other day I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Freedom isn’t free, someone gave their life for you and me.” It made me think not just of my freedom and liberty as an American, but also as a fol- lower of Jesus Christ. Before I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, I was not free. In a sense, I was incarcerated by my own selfishness and poor deci- sions. I wasn’t a bad kid, my mom and dad taught me right from wrong, to treat others as I would want to be treated, to work hard and give my word as my bond. These are values I still hold on to today, but what my parents could not teach me was that if I had everything the world offers, I could still be a slave to my own sins. Have you ever wondered why famous movie stars who seem to have all the wealth, pro athletes who are at the top of their game, along with too many other successful people can still be unfulfilled and sadly overdose on drugs, battle with addictions, or go through multiple divorces? You see, just because we have freedom and all the American dream has to
offer, doesn’t mean we are expe- riencing freedom in our own daily lives. The secret is to find true freedom and this freedom can only come when we find freedom in Jesus Christ. In Luke 4:18 Jesus says: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim that cap- tives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” This is a beautiful pic- ture of what Jesus has done for mankind. He has offered all of us freedom from our own selfish- ness, anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Because freedom is never free, Jesus had to pay for it with his life. In my life I realized I needed freedom and couldn’t do it myself. I’m grateful Christ came into my life, gave me freedom from all my sin and failures, and set me free to enjoy an abun- dant life. I have been a follower of Jesus now for over 40 years and sometimes I still tear up when I think of how he was willing to go to the Cross for me, to take my sins away, and to wash me as white as snow. That is where I have found free- dom and millions of others have as well. True freedom does come at a price and that price has already been paid for us so go enjoy the offer of the Lord’s favor.
76 DECEMBER 2025
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