Free to believe

If you were stopped on the street and asked, "What do you believe about God?" How would you respond? Are you believing for a future event? Are you believing for your present reality? 

Often the question turns from "who I believe God to be" to "what am I getting from God". And, that is definitely a part of it. If we start with what we are getting we often do not end up knowing God any better. What we "get" flows from "who" our heavenly Father is. So, let's take a minute and look at who he is.

The Lord is My Shepherd...Psalm 23 David the Psalmist is making this declaration about the Lord. What a great place to be in, where we allow the Lord to Shepherd our lives. Shepherd's protect and provide for their sheep...makes me lie down in green pastures, leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul, he guides me in paths of righteousness. How good is that?

The Lord Most High...Genesis 14.19. The God who possesses heaven and earth. The one who rules over heaven and earth. Such a strong picture. There is no equal to the Lord Most High. He has no peers. And to think that the Lord Most High protects and provides for us is beautiful and comforting for our souls. 

The Lord Who Heals...Genesis 20.17. Abraham prayed and God healed. Healing for physical needs. Healing for the land. Healing for a broken heart. Healing for our relationship to the living God. Would your prayers change if you believed the Lord wanted you to be whole? 

Meditate on who the Lord is, through these and many more passages. Possibly write out Psalm 23 and read through it several times a day. May you come to believe all the good that He has in store for those who believe in Him. Believing is not a passive activity. It does not just happen. It is an act of our will. May you consider the testimony of who God is and engage your will to believe that goes beyond mere words to actions. 

Free to Follow

Paul wrote...For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5.13

Freedom is a tricky thing. Freedom means we have a choice. We can choose to go back to that which leads to death and engage in the lifestyle that Jesus lived and died to free us from. That lifestyle is not really life at all it is death. If I offer myself to the desires of my flesh I become a slave to that lifestyle. 

However in our freedom we can also choose to offer ourselves to God to serve him and others in love.

The weird part is that we will choose. Either passively, by not making an overt choice. Or, we will choose proactively. 

There are no get rich quick schemes. Wealth is built by making wise choices with resources over a long period of time. A life that is worth living is built in a similar way, by making the choice to offer myself to God as his servant. I often see people who experience the euphoria of experiencing Jesus Christ. It is wonderful to watch. The danger comes by not connecting this newfound freedom to developing this relationship and offering myself to serve others in love. 

You are free to follow and free to walk away. Chose through the freedom and power of Jesus Christ right now to turn from the old and embrace the new. That is freedom!  

How free is free?

Paul writes the words above in Galatians 5. My question is, 'How free is free?' The context is free from the Law of Moses. In Christ we have died to the Old Covenant and are now living in a new covenant. This New Covenant has provision and promises that far exceed those of the Old. The work of Christ to free us from the Old was complete, lacking nothing. 

So, why do I hear and see so many followers of Jesus Christ still striving to live under the Old?

Part of the Good News is that we are now free. May we embrace this freedom. May we live in this freedom. 

The answer to the above question is, completely free!

May you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you through His Word what this freedom looks like when lived out. May you then put on this freedom and wear it with all humility knowing what this freedom cost and how glorious it is to wear it.