Freedom is such a dangerous thing because it is so easily lost. Luke 15 reveals how the prodigal son discovered how easily freedom could be lost. We do not really know what motivated him to leave home, but probably his burning desire for freedom. He may have thought, “If I could just get away from home, out from under my father’s roof or the shadow of his influence, then, I’ll control my life. And then I’ll have the freedom to live my life and do whatever I want to do. How foolish we all can be at times!
   He went to his father, the Bible says and demanded his part of his inheritance. Now, with his new found wealth he stuffed everything he owned in his Nike, travel bag threw it in the back of his BMW convertible chariot and was off to live it up. And live it up he did. He filled his life with all the pleasures, parties and prostitutes money would buy.
   Talk about free, he was free. He did anything he wanted to anytime he pleased. There was no one at least for the moment barking out orders and telling him what to do nor when. He was free. If he saw something he wanted, he bought it. No one restricted his buying habits. If he saw a woman he wanted, he took her. He would not yield to any outdated morality. If he wanted to do something, he did it. No one would tell him what to do he was finally free.  Yes, free at last, free at last, with no one to boss him around and nothing to worry about at least so he thought.
   Now, was he really free? No! This is not one of those, “he lived happily ever after” stories, as we can see from reading the story. This story is a story about real life. And in real life, when you exercise your freedom without any limitations, you’ll soon lose that freedom. It is was true of this young man and it has been true of everyone who has ever sought to live their life in this manner.
   That’s what happened to this young man. In a single twist, Jesus described his fall. Luke 15:14-19 tells the rest of the story. He went from riches to rags. His friends were gone and this good Jewish boy was in the pig pen with the hogs. He was hungry and in competition with the hogs for food. His hungry belly had humbled him. He wanted to go home and be a slave so he could eat. My, my how quickly freedom can be lost. We may wonder how many people have waked up in pigpens or similar place, realizing only too late what they had lost in exercising their freedom.
   It is a shame that it takes such harsh experiences of life to cause us to wake up and realize that we need to live differently. We can not keep abusing our lives simply because we are free. If we keep abusing alcohol, drugs, tobacco, food, sex, and other vices, just because we are free we will experience a lost. People everywhere who do, are losing not only their freedoms but lives also.
   When we think of being a Christian in a free country we have a great responsibility. If we fail to see it much can be lost. If we forfeit our responsibility to live as Christians, we will tarnish the name of Christ, the name Christian, and our possible Godly influence we might have on those who are around us as well as the culture in which we live.
   We have lost much of our influence upon society because we have stopped putting Christ first. We have sacrificed our Christianity for our desires, goals, and ambitions. We have left Christ at the altar while we have gone off in pursuit of the American Dream. We have compromised our beliefs and values on the altars of acceptance and tolerance. We have lost a free nation to cultural religious tolerance. We have forgotten that we are to be dead to the flesh indeed but alive unto God. If we look around us we will see that freedom is easily lost.
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In Christ,

Don
Don M. Snipes 
USA Rep for E.E. in Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas
E. E. USA (Ministry) Faith Based Missionary
15026 Crawford Point Rogers, AR 72756
479-270-9952 email:dmsnipes@gmail.com
or dsnipes@eeworks.org
Proverbs 3:5-6

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