The Cost of Freedom
by Dr. Michael Youssef

Everything valuable comes with a price - and freedom is no exception. Whether it is our freedom to choose our place of worship, to travel across borders, or to pursue the career of our choosing, our freedoms are costly. We have untold debt to those who fought and sacrificed for the political and social liberties we enjoy today.

Our spiritual liberty was not cheap, either. We owe our spiritual freedom to Jesus Christ, who paid for it on the Cross. Jesus is the only way for us to find spiritual freedom from the enslavement to sin. To know Christ is to know true freedom. Jesus Himself said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

God's sacrifice for us was not measured by financial expense or political cost. When Jesus came to earth, He sacrificed His untold glory and splendor in heaven to walk among us. He endured more physical and emotional pain in His final days than we can imagine. He experienced the spiritual pain of being separated from the Father while He hung on the cross. He paid for our sins with His own blood.

While we should always be grateful to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for the political and social freedoms we experience today, our overwhelming thanks should be directed to God for the greatest sacrifice of all - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Whatever blessings of political freedom we experience in this world cannot be compared to the freedom that Jesus gives. The daily liberties we treasure on this earth are fleeting, but our spiritual freedom will last for eternity.

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Excerpted from My Journal, a monthly devotional magazine from Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008