What does it mean to be Free?

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32 NKJV Today is Independence Day, the Fourth of July. It is the day we celebrate our independence from the tyranny & oppression of England. 237 years ago, patriots took a stand and proclaimed liberty. As a result, a great new country was formed. History records that America was settled by people who were in search of religious freedom--Christian people, who desired to worship their Creator in the manner they saw fit without that worship being dictated by the Church of England. These people overcame great obstacles to carve a new nation out of the massive wilderness that was then, these United States. Problems & plagues came their way, yet they stood strong--refusing to waiver in the face of danger, trusting in the will of The One who had brought them to these shores. I looked up the words "freedom" & "liberty" in my trusted Merriam-Webster Dictionary and found their definitions to be the same. Both read, "the quality or state of being free." That prompted my question, "what does it mean to be free?" I suspect individual interpretations of the word "free" vary from person to person. As a Christian, I take my cues from the Bible. I found many references to free, freedom & liberty within GOD's Holy Word. John 8:36 reads, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." Romans 8:2 says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Then there are a couple of my favorites, Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." and 2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." I've come to the conclusion that freedom doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Apparently, what I see as a freedom is seen by some as oppression. Because many people no longer wish to live in accordance to GOD's Word, they see GOD's commandments as oppressive & restrictive. Freedom should not & does not mean we can choose to live however we want to. We are still bound by the laws of the land & even moreso by the laws of GOD, because while America's laws may change with the winds of time & supposed progress--GOD's laws never change as stated in Malachi 3:6, "For I am the Lord, I do not change..." However as we have seen in recent years--liberals have pushed through changes in our legal system that 30-50 years ago would never have been allowed. Progress is not always positive. Where are we headed as a nation? Only GOD knows. I don't like everything I see happening to the country I was born in & taught to love, but I know that while the future is a mystery to me--GOD is already there. While I can only look at the present & past, His sight & knowledge extend to infinity. I need only trust Him to use whatever happens to bring about good, even when evil seems to prevail. I pray that we as a people will turn back to GOD & that America will once again be a blessed nation. For what it is worth, those are my thoughts. Blessings! Tony