I’m Free

So long I had searched for life’s meaning,
Enslaved by the world and my greed;
Then the door of the prison was opened by love,
For the ransom was paid – I was free.

Refrain
I’m free from the fear of tomorrow,
I’m free from the guilt of the past;
For I’ve traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I’m Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!

I’m free from the guilt that I carried,
From that dull empty life I’m set free;
For when I met Jesus, He made me complete,
He forgot how foolish I used to be.

Refrain
I’m free from the fear of tomorrow,
I’m free from the guilt of the past;
For I’ve traded my shackles for a glorious song,
I’m Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!

Sheri, the kids, and I are spending the week in Williamsburg, Virginia for our vacation.  For those of you that have never been to Colonial Williamsburg, it is really neat to think about walking down the same roads, and sitting in the same buildings that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry all sat.  One of the neat things they do at Colonial Williamsburg is to re-enact the reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Capitol building.  A group of actors in period dress read parts of the Declaration for the large crowds of people.  It is really a neat experience.  To be reminded of what our forefathers wanted for our country.  To be reminded of the tyranny and taxation of England.  And to be reminded that we are a free people because of what these people did over 200 years ago.

But as a Christian, we recognize true freedom only comes from accepting Christ as Savior.  The Bible says “He whom the Son has set free is free indeed.”  These colonists were desiring freedom.  Freedom from the control of the King.  Freedom to live their lives as they wanted.  But they only found true freedom by asking Jesus in their hearts.  By declaring their dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• Enslaved by the world and my greed – The Bible teaches us that sin enslaves.  That it can control the inner man.  That we are in bondage to sin.  We also know that by our own personal decisions sometimes we choose to be enslaved to sin.  The author writes that he is enslaved by greed.  But the same could be true of hate, anger, pride, and jealousy.  We are sinful by nature and we are sinful by choice.  The power of the Gospel message, however, is that we can be set free from these things by the blood of Jesus Christ.

• Traded my shackles for a glorious song – One of the other re-enactments we got to see yesterday was a court case between a tavern owner and a man from North Carolina.  Back in colonial times, Virginia and North Carolina had their own money.  The traveler wanted to pay his bill with North Carolina currency, but the tavern owner would not accept it.  They couldn’t “trade” with one another because their currencies were not the same.  It took 7 North Carolina dollars to make one Virginia dollar.  God, however, has a different kind of economic system.  You see, He accepts you – your faults, your sins, your “no good” currency, and exchanges them for eternal life, crown in Heaven, and a glorious song.  We have shackles, but we exchange them for a glorious song.  Isn’t that awesome?

One of the things about Colonial Williamsburg that truly makes no sense is the issue of slavery.  In the midst of all the discussion about freedom and man’s unalienable rights, you find a whole slave culture that impacted every aspect of life.  It impacted who could go to the Courthouse and where one could shop.  It impacted where someone went to church and what kind of education they could have.  It was interesting to me to find that in the midst of all this talk about freedom and independence, we find slavery and shackles.

But as we think about Christianity and the freedom that it brings, we should also remember that we too are slaves.  Paul referred to himself many times as a “bondservant” or “slave” to Christ.  Christ was his, and should be our, Master.  He should govern how we live, what we say, where we go, and what we do.  We should live as men and women that have been bought with a price, and submit fully to His leadership and control.  Yes, our testimony is “I’m free,” but we also should testify to being a “slave” to the greatest, most loving, compassionate Master, and declare our dependence on Him.

For those of you unfamiliar with this song, I have attached a youtube link of Michael English singing this song.  As you may know Michael English has had his set of struggles and challenges.  I pray that the words and testimony of this song sung by Michael English will touch your heart today.