The 4th

I personally love the Fourth of July. Nothing says the Fourth of July like the hot-dog eating contest. These guys are crazy, they eat roughly sixty plus hot dogs in ten minutes. The Fourth of July is also the only day of the year where you can yell "merica" and not look moronic doing so. Who doesn't love doing that? It's also a great time to relax with family, go to the lake, the local parade, and watch fireworks.

Living in the United States is truly a blessing! We all complain daily, but in actuality our lives in the United States are a lot better than the rest of the world. We have so many different freedoms that a lot of people overlook (freedom of speech, religion, and the right to bear arms) just to name a few. Ultimately, freedom's not free. Our military fights for our freedom daily. Many of them are injured, or lose their life in the process. Next time you see a veteran, thank them for their service, it'd make their day.

For me, Independence Day is also a time to thank Jesus for everything he did. Jesus provided us with freedom from sin. He died and then rose again on the third day. He frees us from the bondage of this world. He frees us from pain, our past, pride, brokenness, bitterness, regrets, family problems, addictions, loneliness, etc. There is freedom through Christ and it's available to everyone. Galatians 5:13: "For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love." Lets stop using our freedom to satisfy our sinful natures, but rather use our freedom to serve one another in love. Tell all the people around you how thankful you are to have them in your life.