The celebration of any country’s independence gives us cause to reflect on the gift of freedom. We treasure the liberties our country provides, but are they the real source of freedom? True freedom is a gift given to us by God, not by the world. In fact, the world robs us of freedom by tethering us to a need for money, power, possessions, and prestige as vehicles to success and measures of self-worth. Even though we possess certain liberties, we are held captive by a system that sees no value in the Cross of Christ. It is no wonder Jesus sent his seventy-two disciples into the world with only what they were wearing. The freedom given to us by God is a matter of the heart and requires detachment from the very things we think we cannot do without. A heart secure in God’s peace is something no one can take away and something really worth dying for.