Monday, June 7, 2010
If the Son...
I was reading in John 8 today which has been a very familiar passage for me but something interesting stuck out to me today. John 8:36 says, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." I was struck by the 'if' of that statement. Who in their right mind doesn't want to be free? I mean if you had to chose between being free and being bound up in chains what would you pick? However, the sad reality is that many of us, myself included all too often chose slavery, chains, and prison. There is a very specific calling here in John 8 and it is to hold to the teachings of Jesus, knowing the truth, and truth being the great liberator! So many of us either don't know Christ's teaching, or do know and chose to ignore them. This is slavery! It goes on to say in John 8:34, "...everyone who sins is a slave to sin." I think one of the real issues we fight against is the idea that sin is really not that big of a deal. Everyone does it, in fact even after accepting Christ and are filled with His Spirit we still refer to ourselves as 'sinners'. I wonder if this grieves the heart of God. After all, if Christ truly is the Lamb of God who came to take away the 'sin' of the world then why do we still identify ourselves by the very thing He came to take away? 1 John 3:8 says that the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the work of the devil (SIN). Christ wants us to be free. Romans 6:11 says to count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. We think that in our sinning we are exercising freedom of choice, freedom to indulge, freedom to do what we want. In reality this is slavery. Christ says if you want to follow me, die so that you might live. Give up your will and find out what real living is all about. I must submit to the Word of God and allow it be written on my heart so that I can be free. Jesus goes on to tell the Pharisees that they are children of the devil because they have no room for God's Word in their hearts. Lord Jesus, clean my temple so that there is much room for Your Word there so that the 'if' becomes a reality today, freedom in Christ.
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Oh the longing to be free and live a life worthy of the Lord. So often i think i am doing ok then realize i am really not living any different than the world. This scripture stood out to me this week.
ReplyDeleteEph. 2:2 you let the world, which doesn't know a thing about living, tell you how to live.
Forgive me Father
Psalm 25:4 Show me your ways, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.
I was with my niece last week. She is a Junior at UCLA. She has been saved 3 years. I asked her how she does not give in to the temptations of drinking and sexual license? She smiled with a pure and confident look and said to me "Uncle Mike, I choose not to be a Lukewarm christian.
ReplyDeleteFreedom is a choice we make when the power of His resurrection is made real through our faith and obedience.
Phil. 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Recently read in the book Crazy Love
ReplyDeleteThe core problem isn't the fact that we are lukewarm. The reason we are lukewarm is because we have an inaccurate view of God.
(paraphrase)