About Freedom

In a lesson entitled "Freedom is Free," Mike taught on Galatians 5:1-15 Sunday morning. He showed how the Judaizers (those so called believers that maintained that grace might be received through the Law) were teaching a different Gospel than that originally brought to the Galatians by Paul. More specifically, the Galatian church thought that circumcision might benefit their faith. Paul expresses in verse 3 that an attempt to keep part of the Law obligates a person to keep the whole Law and separates a soul from Christ (v. 4.) As we all should know, it is impossible to keep all the Law, and, even if we could, why would we want to separate ourselves from Christ?

This discussion segued into a living example of a life set free from works...me. I shared with the class how the Lord brought me from a restricted life justified by works into a life set free by grace. Prior to two years ago, my self-worth was based on doing right and being right. The key is to notice that I was actually serving myself and my pride. Unfortunately, this pattern of living is fruitless and leads to guilt and depression, as it did for me.

"For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" Romans 7:22-24

Submitting my life to Christ has meant giving up control in the most wonderful way. In turn, I have received true freedom. Freedom from guilt. Freedom to be wrong. Freedom to submit to my husband. Freedom to share my faith. Freedom to guard my words. Freedom to repent and live forgiven! It is no longer about me, but Christ living in me.

"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:25

Spiritual Warfare

In the midst of seeking new business opportunities and, ultimately, God's will, Mike ran in to a bit of a road block yesterday. Literally.

A young man pulling out of a parking lot missed the brake and floored it into the passenger side of our van. By the grace of God, the kids and I were at home. (Notice the loaner truck.) Mike is feeling alright as far as I can tell, but I cannot help thinking that a seemingly random accident may not be so random after all.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

I have also been reminded of God's chastening of those He loves. I know that He directs our path, and when we stray off course, He is faithful to redirect us.

We shall see how all of it plays out, but in the meantime, He has redirected me in a very specific way. Originally, I began writing out of a passion to share the freedom of the Gospel. Over the course of several months, I began to feel as if I had lost my first love. My adoration of the Word had morphed into a lust for writing! Last night, He convicted me of my misguided way of allowing my writing to become an idol. I am committed to writing only after I have spent time in the Word. The correction is to me a precious gift.

"Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." Romans 6:21-22

Riding Bikes

Both boys are now riding bikes sans training wheels. Good job Ben and Joey!

Perhaps we can all learn from these seven (almost eight!) year old boys. All of us have something we are unwilling to release. When Mike removed the training wheels, Ben ran out ready to ride like a pro. He quickly found out it was not so easy. He was defeated and refused to try again for days. Joey, on the other hand, from the start wanted nothing to do with the newly remodeled bike. But when left alone, his sense of intrigue drew him to the strange, unfamiliar beast that beckoned from the garage.

We hold on so tight to the things of this world, that when they are taken from us, we lose heart. Perhaps they are taken from us so that we can go to the next level. Let go of the training wheels!

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

Excerpt from Chapter One: The Unworthy Heart

“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Romans 9:16

If I have not been made for service, in other words, to glorify God by sharing the good news, then I have been made in vain. “For you were called to freedom brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13) So, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

Isaiah’s heart was ready to serve, but his message was difficult. He had to go and tell the people that they would not be able to receive the blessing of the Lord until all Israel was desolate and forgotten. Then, there would be nothing left but the holy seed of God which would live on through the line of king David and would one day take on His own flesh as an Israelite to deliver His people. Isaiah lived 800 years before Christ’s birth. He did not live to see the people delivered from their sins. Furthermore, the people did not want to hear what he had to say. As the Lord spoke to Isaiah in chapter 6, “Render the hearts of this people insensitive…” (v. 10) The people were physically and spiritually unable to receive the message of repentance because the Lord declared that they would have insensitive hearts, or, literally, “fat” hearts.

Our message tells the people of this age that they are not unlike the Israelites of 2800 years ago. But the difference is for what purpose we share this news. We can boldly proclaim that God came to earth in the form of a human and limited Himself as a human and died a human’s death to take on our sin. And, the most glorious part of the story, that He defeated death by rising to life again. Now and forevermore, our Savior lives!