Meant to be Free

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves  be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1) Paul, in writing this, was telling the Gentile believers to stop striving for salvation and righteousness by following the Law, the Law being the rules set forth by God for the Israelites before the coming of Jesus. Before Jesus came, the Law was the only means of justification, but when Christ died for our sins, He introduced grace as our means of salvation. "For it is by grace you have been saved, by faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)  Now that Jesus had died for their sins, all the Gentiles (and Jews, for that matter) had to do was believe in Him to be saved and made righteous. They could not follow the Law perfectly, nor did they need to because they had already been saved by God's grace, through faith.   

Even though Christ had set them free, some of the Gentile believers were enslaved because the Jewish Christians convinced them that they must follow the Law to the letter as well - that grace wasn't enough. For the Gentile Christians, the pressure to be righteous in the eyes of the Jews was enslaving.  The Gentile Christians did not need to follow the Law to be righteous because their sins were forgiven and they were no longer condemned.  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.  And so He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4) The Gentile Christians felt the pressure of the Jewish Christians' condemnation, but Christ did not condemn them.    

Living as a slave after being set free by Christ didn't stop with those first Gentile believers. It seems obvious that Christ meant us to be free when He set us free, but the truth is, we don't always live like we are free. We let fear, doubt, sin, anger, pain, sickness, death, envy, deceit, addictions, guilt, lies about who we are in Christ and who God is, and countless other things enslave us. We are not meant to be burdened by these. We are not meant to be slaves to these. Christ set us free so that we would be free! More than just setting us free, Christ sent His Spirit to live within us, giving us the power and authority to overcome the things that enslave us, through Him, if we would only ask.

If you are in Christ, you are free and He wants you to live freely. Today I am asking myself, Where am I still chained, where am I burdened? If we are aware of our chains, we can cast them off by the power of the Holy Spirit because Christ has already set us free.

"Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Be resolute in your freedom and give your burdens to Christ, in whom you are free. God did not create us to be enslaved, nor did Christ set us free to live as captives.  All the same, we have a choice every second of our lives - to be enslaved or to be free.  It's never too late to give our burdens to Christ and be free, He is abounding in grace and His love is never-ending and unconditional.       

Choose freedom, friends.  

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

"I am free to dance, I am free to sing, I am free to live for You, I am free.  Who the Son sets free is free indeed."
 

No Fear. Only Purpose

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline"
- 2 Timothy 1:7

This verse was written on the wall of Snohomish County Christian School's lunchroom, where I went to school from kindergarten through third grade.  I read it every day - often stared at it and wondered what it meant.  I understood the words, but didn't grasp how it applies to my life or why it is important.  I get it now.

God knew I needed this verse today and reminded me of it.  Paul's letter to Timothy is so sweet and encouraging!  In the first chapter, Paul encourages Timothy to boldly spread the gospel because Paul has witnessed Timothy's sincere faith. 

I have lived far too much of my life in fear but, a few months ago, I decided it was time for that to end.  I was afraid of so many things: spiders, sickness, heights, death, failure, rejection, bad grades, shots, you name it, everything from the completely irrational to very legitimate.  Sometimes, there was only a small nagging worry, but, other times, the fear was crippling. Fear is not what God wants for us.  He did not give us a spirit of timidity!  I have found Philippians 4:6 to be very true in my life.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your cares to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Isn't that beautiful and freeing?

If you spend a lot of time with me, you may know that I hate talking to groups of people.  I have no problem talking to individual people, but if I have to address more than four people, it is not a happy experience.  Presentations have always been the bane of my existence.  This is me reciting Shakespeare for my 9th grade Honors English class: red face, racing heart, shaking uncontrollably, clenching and unclenching my hands, talking as fast as possible, and practically running to my seat when I finish.  I'm a lot better now, but presentations still make me nervous.  If I say something in class, at youth group, or small group I: a. have been asked a direct question b. am being very brave c. know the answer for sure and say it as concisely as possible d. think what I have to say is important.

In case you haven't heard, I'M GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!!!  I am sooooooo excited!!!  On a side note, more information is coming, I promise.  This presents a whole new challenge.  The prospect of speaking about my trip in front of the entire congregation is very scary, but I know it's not something God wants me to avoid.  I am afraid of being asked hard questions, not having answers, being unable to find the right words, standing there saying I don't know how to explain.  When I say I can't explain something, I really mean it.  There are no coherent thoughts, only a smattering of words that really wouldn't make sense to anyone else, feelings that cannot be communicated in words.  So, right now, I am praying for boldness as I prepare to minister to the people of South Africa and Zambia and I would greatly appreciate your prayers as well.  For me, this is the scariest part of going to Africa, but I am confident that God will give me the words because telling others about my trip brings Him honor and glory.  We were created to bring God glory and He said "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

During the past few months, I have been intentionally doing things that scare me, and it feels so good.  Once I start, it's really not that hard.  The scary part isn't riding on the zipline or having a conversation, it's climbing up and stepping off the platform or saying the first word. We should not allow fear to deter us.  In the words of Tenth Avenue North, "You don't have to be afraid, 'cause fear is just a lie, open up your eyes."

      
I don't have to be afraid.  You don't have to be afraid.  We don't have to be afraid.  Ever.  Our God has given us a spirit of power to overcome, a spirit of love to reach out to those around us, and a spirit of self-discipline to grow into the children He created us to be, to become more like Him. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).  In Isaiah 41:13, the Lord says, "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."  I want to end with what I think is one of the most amazing promises in the entire bible: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Mathhew 28:20).  God Himself is literally with us, no matter where we go; He is our Helper.  God has promised to help us, so we have nothing to fear. 

No Fear. Only Purpose.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!