[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during April 2022]
Recently I read an observation that is worth repeating. Translated, it reads: “liberty has a price”.
Some liberties are worth paying for. Our freedom to drive around is paid for with taxes and fuel costs, and there are many such examples. However, very often those who benefit most from liberty are not those that paid the price for it. Previous generations have borne the cost of freedoms that we not only enjoy but have come to expect as normal.
But is it ‘normal’? Beyond our peaceful complacency there are people who are fighting for the right to be heard, for the right to be educated, for the right to be able to go about their lawful business without let or hindrance. Many have paid a great price for what we consider to be normal.
Liberty has a price.
Now that our continent is at war again, economically and militarily, that statement comes with greater emphasis. Every day our screens are filled with images showing the cost of liberty. We see the costs in terms of lives and livelihoods, in material destruction and in the costs of munitions. We hear in detail the stories of people who have lost their businesses, their homes, their friends, their families, their futures.
Liberty has a price.
In a twist on the usual scenario, the Egyptians bore the cost of the Hebrews’ liberty. Not for the last time in history, one man’s intransigence brought misery on his people as the plagues progressed from inconvenience to a national disaster. Every Egyptian household lost a son; how many households are today sharing that experience?
Liberty has a price.
It is entirely appropriate as we approach Easter that we remember the ultimate liberty, and the ultimate price that was paid. Those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ are free from the consequences of sin and have a sense of security that is impossible to define in secular scientific terms.
It cost the death of the Son of God. Not a peaceful passing away but a cruel, vindictive and painful death exasperated by a mental ordeal that we cannot even start to imagine. Despite that cost, this liberty is freely available to those who are willing to believe.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8 v36 [NIVUK]
Perhaps we have become too familiar with the story. Like the images of war on our screens, we become insensitive to the details. Lord, help us to see afresh what our liberty cost you.
When I stand before the throne, dressed in beauty not my own,
when I see thee as thou art, love thee with unsinning heart,
then, Lord, shall I fully know, not till then, how much I owe.
Robert Murray McCheyne, 1837
.
Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.
Bible dates:
Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.
Horley Baptist Church onlineHBC main site
Confidential prayer link
Return to Tuesday Challenge
Jump to Index of Bible Passages
April 2022
Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
