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Let Freedom Ring...



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 "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.


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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.
   
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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

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