It was a speech that declared the dream deep in the heart of a man passionate to see the injustices of slavery abolished.
That dream has seen a measure of fulfilment over time. However, the cost to the King family was immense, with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr on April 4, 1968. This is a reminder that freedom often comes at great cost to someone.
This week our state has heard phrases like “extra freedoms”, and “you are free to do” this and that, in our news briefings. Yet this had me thinking about the possibility that you can be free but still bound or limited, all at the same time.
It is true that our civil and personal freedoms always have boundaries and limitations. We are free to forgive and live in community together. We also have a responsibility to our community because of these very freedoms.
The golden rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, is great to live by. Many don’t understand that this advice given by Jesus helps communities to live together in harmony (see Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31).
For many of us, freedom has become synonymous with personal independence, yet freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. With this in mind, we are able to contribute to our community in a meaningful way.
This presents us with the question: How do my personal freedom and choices affect the world that I live in?
For example, should my personal choice, and right, to purchase goods and services at the cheapest possible price override the need and right for someone else to earn a wage that they can live off?
Once again, the golden rule can be used in our moral choices.
When I read the gospels – the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible – I am always impressed by the way that Jesus brought freedom to those who had been labelled as not worthy of attention. He was constantly caring for, and bringing freedom to, those who were looked down on by the culture they were living in.
So, the important question may not be “Do I have freedom?” but “How should I use the freedom that I have been given?” God helps us to use our freedom wisely.
I love these words found in the book of James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
When we need and seek wisdom, God opens the way for us to receive help and guidance. God gives us the freedom to choose our own path in life.
One of the joys I experience in my personal relationship with Jesus is that I have been given free will to choose how I will live life.
As we apply the golden rule and it is carried out with true wisdom, then our community is safer, healthier and better off. Let us continue to build a better tomorrow.
God Bless,
Pastor Trevor Kay, Living Waters Church
15°C