So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
Dear Heavenly Father,
I praise You for loving me and choosing me before the foundation of the world; for blessing me in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (See Ephesians 1). I praise You for setting me free in Jesus, by the gift of Your grace. Thank You for my repentance and faith in Jesus, the greatest gift besides Jesus Himself. The ultimate freedom is the freedom from the bondage of sin and the gift of eternal life, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Lord to all and Savior to all who believe in Him. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).
God Bless America
Not only has God saved me from my sins and gifted me with eternal life through faith in Christ, but He’s given me a free country to live in. And it's all for His purposes, my benefit, and His glory. God bless America and praise God I get to live here! Purely by His grace, God let me live in a country where I have the freedom to own a Bible, the freedom to go to church and worship with other believers, and the freedom to proclaim His Word and share the Good News. How blessed am I to have such freedom and access to God’s Word and the preaching of it.
More Precious Than Gold
The written Word points me to the living Word, Jesus Christ. Scripture is the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15-17). From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Bible points me to my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2) The Holy Scriptures are right at my fingertips, just a click away, and I’m able to hold them in the palms of my hands. What a gift it is to be given the Instructions Manual of how to live this life and how to find eternal life. I've tried living life without the Instructions Manual. Lemme tell you, it's a mess trying to navigate and build a life without the Book that's supposed to go along with it. What a gift it is that God worked His divine grace in my heart and drew me to open His Word to tell me about Jesus. What a difference it makes to read the Instructions Manual and walk in wisdom. For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and all that you desire cannot compare with her (Proverbs 8:11). How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver (Proverbs 16:16).
Grace Upon Grace
It's so tragic that the Bible is illegal in so many countries. (See list below) In 52 countries, the Bible is either A. difficult/dangerous to obtain, B. illegal or highly restricted, or C. strictly illegal and only available through covert smuggling.
Why do some get access to God's Word when others don’t? That’s a question I don’t have the answer to. All I know is that I am to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). I am simply to praise Him for His grace, for I know it’s nothing I did to earn God’s favor. It’s not like I deserve to live in a free country or own a Bible. And I certainly don't deserve eternal life. I don’t deserve these good things because I'm “good.” I'm not good, and the Bible tells me so (Romans 3:10). Rather, it’s because God is good and rich in mercy. (Ephesians 2:4-8). It’s simply a gift by His grace to allow me to live in a country where I can freely read and learn about Jesus, from the very mouth of God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16). And it’s in those Scriptures where God first gave me the gift to believe in Jesus. So faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). It’s truly all of grace. My freedom is all of grace, temporarily in the USA and eternally in Christ. Just grace upon grace.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:14,16,17). As believers, we receive grace and then more grace. We are served grace on top of grace, and in place of that, even more grace. Jesus is full of grace, and those who follow Him get showered with His grace.
People are killed for concealing God’s Word simply for personal use. The Bible is so precious that people will risk their lives to keep the Word of God in their possession. And here I am living in the USA, with the freedom to own as many Bibles as I please. But one is all I need. To say I am blessed is an understatement. I know I am totally undeserving, and for whatever reason, God had mercy on me. He gifted me with my faith and an eternal home in Christ.
On top of that, He gifted me with an earthly home to freely grow in Christ and share Him with others. The greatest act of mercy that God performs is giving the gift of faith.” — R.C. Sproul
The Ultimate Freedom
It’s not what I do that sets me free. It’s what I believe in my heart that sets me free. May my heart be filled with Jesus as I fill my mind with the Word of God. Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life I could never live. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to His Father’s will to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross for me and all who would ever come to faith in Him. On Calvary, Jesus took the full wrath and punishment I deserved upon Himself. He paid it all when right before He died He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus defeated death and in three days He rose from the grave, so that by grace through faith I may live and reign with Him forever! There is no greater freedom than that which is found in Jesus. He is my Supreme Treasure (Philippians 3:7-8). He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). I could be living under a dictatorship, in a jail cell somewhere, or even bound up in chains, but with Jesus in my heart, I would still have the ultimate freedom.
Dear Lord,
If it is Your will and it brings You glory, may You allow me to live in a free country for many more years to come. May You protect the US from the evil one who tries to take away my freedoms by calling good evil and evil good and distorting the Truth. May You help me to continue sharing the gospel and proclaiming Your Word, even as the world grows more and more hostile toward God and the Truth. No matter what the future may hold or what trials this country may face in the coming years, I know there is nothing to fear because Jesus is in my heart. Help me keep my eyes focused on Jesus, by keeping my eyes focused on Your Word.
All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Romans 6:22
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:16
List of 52 Countries
There are 52 countries where the Bible is either A. difficult/dangerous to obtain, B. illegal or highly restricted, or C. strictly illegal and only available through covert smuggling. Check out the map here: https://www.persecution.com/bibles/
1. Afghanistan
2. Iran
3. Kazakhstan
4. Kyrgyzstan
5. Maldives
6. Mauritania
7. North Korea
8. Saudi Arabia
9. Somalia
10. Tajikistan
11. Turkmenistan
12. Uzbekistan
13. Yemen
14. Algeria
15. Bhutan
16. Brunei
17. China
18. Cuba
19. Djibouti
20. Eritrea
21. Kuwait
22. Laos
23. Libya
24. Malaysia
25. Morocco
26. Oman
27. Sudan
28. Tunisia
29. Bahrain
30. Bangladesh
31. Central African Republic
32. Columbia
33. Egypt
34. Ethiopia
35. India
36. Iraq
37. Jordan
38. Kenya
39. Lebanon
40. Mali
41. Myanmar (Burma)
42. Nepal
43. Niger
44. Nigeria
45. Pakistan
46. Philippines (Mindanao)
47. Sri Lanka
48. Syria
49. Tanzania
50. Turkey
51. United Arab Emirates
52. Vietnam