Skip to main content

Let Freedom Ring...



photo source

 "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time."  ~ Thomas Jefferson

 Freedom.  Yesterday, we 'celebrated' it.    Because of July 4th we drink more coffee than tea.  Phew!  Though I do love my tea parties.



Webster defined it as 'the state of exemption of the power and control of another'. Sadly, to many, this word is watered down, superficially used and contemplated, exploited & taken for granted.  But to too many, in other places & times, this word is life altering, cherished, fought for, and sought after.  

 I, for one, have rarely been asked to give up my freedom.  In my mind, in my past, this has been someone asking me to stay after for another meeting, or making me wait for something- thereby robbing me of my time.  Not being able to speak my mind freely as a teacher felt restrictive to me.  I feel when I owe taxes the freedom to not be able to spend my money as I want is taken.  Or recently, not being able to go places without a mask and/or vaccine.  That's it.  

But I give up my freedom all the time without really acknowledging it.  I have let other people & situations have control over me, holding my thoughts & emotions in a cage that I don't let out. I put boundaries of fear all around me at times that restrict me from experiencing all that God has for me.  

Sometimes, people think believing in Jesus means that our freedoms are taken away or limited.  By 'freedoms' we think our fun will be gone because God is boring, or that we can't live a certain way.  We look at Christianity as a list of dos and don'ts.  Mostly don'ts.


biblestudytools.com

But this is exactly what Christ died to release us from - the law & the list of dos & don'ts.  He died so we could live freely without the bondage to sin, which separated us from Him eternally.  He gave us our free will so that we come to Him on our own, not forced, not out of guilt, but out of a response to His love.  He reaches out His hand, in the form of dying for our sin, so that we can reach back & be reconciled to Him.  His Word holds parameters that keep us safe - from ourselves, others, situations - to protect & guide us, not harm or restrict us.  

And as for God being boring?  If you are living with Him & seeking Him, the joy & contentment that fill your life & give it meaning is inexpressible. 

Have you ever been taken hostage by words - your own self-talk or someone else's - that remind you of your past?  You keep replaying in your mind your past sins, and think that God is punishing you now for what was done then?  Or you remind someone else of how they've hurt you in the past, or failed you in some way, even though they've apologized?  


Have you passively usurped someone's authority or participation because you don't think they are up for the job because of some past negligence?  Or been short & offensive, not allowing people the chance to change?


These mind replays & actions make us slaves.  Christ died to give us freedom from that.  All of that.  No exceptions.  

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."  John 8:36 

"For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  2 Cor 3:17

Those recurring guilt thoughts that are designed to subtly destroy us - like death by paper cuts? We need to strike them down with the word of God.  Remember, the evil one comes to seek, kill & destroy us, our thoughts, our relationship with God & others - anything to make us not seek God. Anything to make us live our life in bondage & not the freedom Christ died for us to have.

"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death." Romans 8:1-4
 
 Let's live freely.  Let's worship God freely and give Him free reign over our thoughts & lives.

This is true freedom.

✙ Dear Father, thank You for the freedom we have enjoyed as Americans.  We were born for this time, this place, this community - give us a heart of gratitude for this gift.  Thank You for how You have freely forgiven us by providing the sacrifice needed for our sin penalty-which is death.  Because of Jesus taking on our sin, we come in freedom to You, accept this gift, and long to live under the power of Your Spirit.  Help us live in Your freedom & not be misguided by the false empty lures of this world.  Amen.
   
Labels:

Comments

  1. JaclynJuly 5, 2023 at 5:07 PM

    So encouraging!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bonnie MitchekJuly 6, 2023 at 8:18 PM

    This is so good Terri. Such a good point of communicating that Christianity is not do’s and dont’s, but rather freedom.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Fight Back the Darkness

  Crosswalk image Nothing makes Satan weak in the knees more than when we are on our knees."   ~ Skip Heitzig, Pastor Death.  Killing.  Violence.  What do we do with such heavy hearts in such a dark time? With the knot in our throats and the pit in our stomachs that are weighing on our souls?  When we look around us, nothing on this broken earth can fill our void of sadness and despair.   So we look up to the One who created all things and who alone has the power to bring light and help: "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.   What does help look like?  When does it come?  How much will we get?  Anger, confusion, bitterness, hostility, helplessness and fear overcome us in different ways and at different times.  We want reasons- we ask, "Why, Lord, why?" We instinctively want a reckoning- someone to pay for the injustice that has happened....
2 comments
Read more

Knocking on Heaven's Door

  "Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal." ~ Troy Ramey, artist My mom knocked on heaven's door this week, and was let in.  She had lived 94 years on this earth- through the Great Depression, tragedy, and a host of health issues- but plodded on with feistiness and a sense of humor. My mourning wasn't the only woe being experienced this week- miscarriages, mental illness, broken family relationships, fear of uncertainty - all woes this broken world has handed out to people I love.  And the prince of this world loves to throw them at us relentlessly.  Lord, how do we endure? How do we fight back the tendency to grow tired of it and let it rob us of our  joy? We ask God to give us the fruit of self-control and guard our minds.    "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."...
2 comments
Read more

The Power of 4

"Mathematics is the language with which  God  has  ruled the universe." ~ Galileo . Go back with me to a quick math lesson recall from Geometry (stay with me, it's short I promise).    Straight logic, right?  Let's apply one of the principles our Almighty God, the great Mathematician who designed numbers and the universe and our minds, created.   (a) - He knew we would need advice, help and support on this earth, in this broken life. (b) -  He gave us His Holy Scriptures, His Word, that miraculously survived over the years, to guide us. (c) -   He gave us the Holy Spirit as our "advocate", to help us understand His Word. So, therefore, our support, guidance and help comes by way of the Holy Spirit guiding us as we read the Bible- the holy, inspired Word of God.  Isn't math awesome? Don't just take this from an 8th grade math teacher.  Even man-made institutes support the benefits of reading the bible frequently, conclud...
Post a Comment
Read more