“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” -Colossians 1:13-14 

Scripture reading: Colossians 1:13-14

Today, Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence. In that declaration, the founding fathers declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

But where does a man find life, liberty, and happiness? As North America flounders as a society without God, the church, as the society of God in Christ, declares our freedom from sin, death and hell because of the grace and peace we have from God the Father in Jesus Christ. We think of our freedom in Christ because of His work on the cross. His suffering brought us peace with God. By His resurrection, we are raised to a new life that brings us new, lasting happiness. We know that of ourselves we have no rights, but in Christ, we have grace, peace and access to God.

Paul told the Philippians that our citizenship is in heaven, and Jesus prayed that we would be left in the world to be salt and light in the world. Paul prays for the church in Colosse and, by extension, for our churches too, that we would persevere as a church, always faithful and convinced of the work of Jesus Christ. In Him, we rejoice and celebrate, and I hope our prayers and celebration are far more powerful and beautiful than pageants and parades of the day. May all hear from us today: “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”

Suggestions for prayer

Thank God for our freedom. Pray that the people of the United States and all countries would embrace the great truths of God’s Word and the wonder of Christ and glorify the Father. Pray for the church’s witness today.

Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.