Freedom for All
The Daily Devotional
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Freedom for All
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. (Galatians 5:13)
Introduction
July 1 dawns with parades and patriotic banners already stirring in small towns across America, yet Paul’s words to the Galatians remind us that Christian freedom reaches far beyond national borders. True liberty in Christ is not a private privilege but a gift meant to bless the whole human family.
Reflection
Last summer a neighborhood teenager set up a “free lemonade” stand on a sweltering afternoon. People expected the usual 25-cent cup, yet each passerby was warmly offered a cool drink—no payment, no strings. Soon, strangers lingered to chat, parents relaxed while children played, and the block felt more like community than street. One simple act of unearned generosity refreshed more than thirst; it hinted at the boundless freedom we have in Christ to serve without calculating return. Paul insists that the freedom Christ won is not for self-promotion but for self-giving love—whether to a thirsty traveler, a weary refugee, or a neighbor whose passport differs from our own.
Application
Take inventory today of the freedoms you enjoy—speech, movement, worship, education—and identify one you can leverage to bless someone outside your usual circle. Perhaps invite an international coworker to your July 4 cookout, write to your representative about just immigration policies, or donate toward clean-water projects abroad. Let your liberty become someone else’s relief.
Conclusion
Independence Day reminds Americans of national birth, but in Christ we celebrate a greater birthright: freedom that breaks chains everywhere and binds us together in love. When we use our liberties to lift others, we echo the heart of the Gospel and proclaim that God’s kingdom knows no borders.
Prayer
Liberating Lord, thank You for the priceless freedom Christ secured. Guard my heart from using liberty for comfort alone. Show me today whose burden I might ease—across the street or across the sea—and teach me to serve with joy so that Your love may be known in every land. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV)© 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
