"Why keep a broken bell"
from “Did you know devotions,” by Nancy S. Hill
There was a big crowd in front of the State House in Philadelphia. The new bell had arrived from England, and it was about to be rung for the first time. The bell ringer swung the clapper, the bell made a lovely bong - and then it cracked all the way up the side! Now it had to be fixed. A brass maker named Mr. Stow was hired to do the job. First he melted the bell, and then he remolded it. The bell was tested again. This time it just went 'thud' when it was rung, so back it went to the shop. Again it was remade, and again it was rung. Finally it was perfect - which was a good thing, because this became the Liberty Bell that was rung in 1776 to gather everyone when the Declaration of Independence was read out loud for the first time.
In 1777, however, the Liberty Bell was in trouble again. Americans had to take it down and sneak it out of town at night to hide it from the British army, because the army would probably try to melt it and make bullets out of it. The bell stayed in the basement of a church for a year. Then it was brought back to Philadelphia and hung up again, to be rung on important occasions for the next fifty - seven years. But one day something amazing happened when it was rung. The Liberty Bell cracked again! What was really surprising was that it broke on exactly the same day, July 8, as it had cracked the first time - fifty nine years earlier. It hasn't been rung since then, but it has been visited and admired by many Americans.
Liberty is another word for freedom. Some people say that they don't want to be Christians because they would have no freedom, that there are too many rules to follow. But that is not true at all! The Bible says in Galatians 5 : 13 - 14 - You have been called to live in freedom - not freedom to satisfy your old sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: " Love your neighbor as yourself."
When we follow this rule, we have true freedom and live in a way that pleases God.
Dear God, thank you for true freedom. Thank you for freedom from our old sinful nature and your gift of forgiveness through your son Jesus. Help us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In Jesus name, Amen.
God Bless