When I was a kid I was taught in school the song “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty”, yes the patriotic song ‘America’. Little did I realize the depths of that song, but as we look back at the framers of our country and constitution as adults we can see the intent that all people should be free. It took nearly 100 years and a civil war to make that the law of the land to free those in slavery, 60 more years to give women the right to vote and then another 50 years for congress to pass the equal rights amendment. So today we should be able to sing ‘America’ all the more, knowing that the law of the land is liberty for all.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,  and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” – Galatians 5:1 NKJV

Any student of American history can see that the principles upon which our country was formed come from the Bible. Just go into the Supreme Court and see the Ten Commandments on the wall, not to mention the use of swearing on the Bible in all courts. We are a country founded on the principle of liberty for all, just like we (hopefully) practice in our lives and in our churches. And that liberty is worth standing up for and fighting for. We are one nation, under God, made free. And we should stand fast, or in other words, we should not be moved from the proposition that liberty is our God-given right.

But let’s use good judgement in this proposition. Not only should we defend our own freedom, we should defend the freedom of all people. Just look what the Bible has to say: “Then you recently turned and did what was right in My sight—every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor; and you made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.” (Jeremiah 34:15 NKJV). It is right in God’s eyes that we should proclaim liberty to our neighbor, who is everyone. And we should stand against those who seek to bring the American people into subjection, both abroad and domestically.

So as we have recently celebrated our Independence Day, let’s remember that the hard work and sacrifice required to make this the sweet land of liberty had only begun on July 4th. And the work goes on today. Let’s also remember that liberty for all is what God intends, so let’s stand strong in the perfect law of liberty we find in the Bible and in Jesus Christ.

Just saw this quote, do you know if it from the Bible, or not?

“There is no peace without hope, no hope without liberty, no liberty without integrity, no integrity without virtue.” – Bible or Not?

It reminds me a little of this Bible verse:

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” - 2 Peter 1:5-7

So, Bible or not? If so, where? If not who?

What type of person are you? One who takes initiative and makes things happen, or one who blows with the wind allowing the circumstances of life to direct your course? Do you live life, or do you let life live you? We can find plenty of self-help authors writing about the value of being proactive and positive in our lives, but is it Biblical? Yes…and no.

We have been given free will by God, to act, and not to be acted upon. We can choose to accept life and liberty through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or we can choose death and captivity outside of God’s grace typified by a life of sin. That is the ultimate. But what about the everyday things? Not only the decisions and choices we make, and the paths we take, but the way in which we make and take them. Let’s consider the following.

Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. - Psalm 32:9 (New King James Version)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. – 2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)

The Bible teaches us to not be like animals which are led around by the nose, but that we should have understanding and direct ourselves. Being bridled by the circumstances of life you may allow others to decide your course, thus forfeiting your God-given freedom. Yes, it is wise to take counsel from the wise, our course should be directed by the Holy Spirit. Not a passive act, but rather proactively engaging God and pursuing our heart’s desires.

Furthermore, God has given us the power to act for ourselves without fear. So we can and should take initiative and direct our lives proactively. The caveat, we must do it in faith according to the will of God.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will[g] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’.” – James 4:13-15 NKJV

Live life, don’t let life live you. Just remember who gave you that life to live, and live it by faith.