As a black man living in the United States, I consider freedom one of my most precious blessings. My ancestors were slaves once, bought and sold like property, worked like cattle and sometimes beaten to the point of death. My ancestors could only dream of the freedom I was born with. It is never far from my thoughts that if I had been born 200 years ago, I couldn’t do any of the things I am doing with my life today. I am a free man, and no matter how busy or stressed I get, I always take time to cherish and give thanks for this powerful truth.

Free. We use the word carelessly, often for food we didn’t pay for or buy-one-get-one-free offers that give us even more stuff which we don’t really need. Yet the power in that word should never be under- estimated. I was born free. Maybe that’s why, when the word of God tells me that all people everywhere were born into slavery to self- ishness and sin and that Jesus died to set us free, I can barely choke back the tears. Each of us wore shackles around our necks, powerless against sin and death. And because Christ died for us, the chains are removed and we are let go – free to believe in, trust and follow Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for giving your life to set us free. Help us to share this gift with all those who are still in bondage. Amen