I Am Free to Choose Freedom
28/02/10 19:31
Mankind
desires freedom. It has been that way from the
beginning. Adam and Eve wanted the freedom to choose
the fruit and Cain wanted the freedom to choose what
he offered to God. Let’s look at these two
situations for a minute. Understand that mankind was
created to have fellowship with his Creator and
because of this, certain parameters would be set in
place to ensure this fellowship. God told Adam and
Eve that they were free to eat from any tree in the
Garden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil. That word, “except” set the
parameters that would maintain the communion that
Adam and Eve would share with God. Before we go any
further in our discussion about freedom, let us be
reminded that
Adam and Eve were free
to not eat from the Tree.
In fact, since the fall, mankind hasn’t known true freedom. Both Adam and Eve were influenced from without and subjected themselves to a whole new set of parameters, parameters that would close in on them continually, until they were not free at all. It happens everyday and in the lives of everyone who has ever lived. For instance, when I was a youth I had this freedom (so I thought) to choose a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. But, I never dreamed that all the time I was “freely” choosing this lifestyle, the lifestyle was corralling me into enslavement where my freedom was nothing more than an ideology at best.
My heart was deceiving me into thinking that I was still free, but my actions were proving otherwise. I was constantly thinking about drugs and alcohol, spending my money on drugs and alcohol and using drugs and alcohol. Can you see how my life was being fenced in? People do this with drugs, alcohol, sex, power and fame. Some folks are so trapped by money, which by the way, offers so much freedom in the beginning, but soon becomes a situation in which they can never spend a dime without some feeling of dismay.
When a man or women comes to Christ, the Spirit of God begins to lead them into a life of total freedom –whom the Son sets free is free indeed. God sets the parameters; See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trust in him will never be put to shame. 1Pe.2:6 The one who trusts in Jesus Christ has in effect, said, “Lord. I am giving you my life today and forever. I choose to surrender this life to you as an offering. The Son of God has set this man or woman free, from the oppression of the devil. He or she has been set free from the fear of death.
The act of choosing Christ is a step toward true freedom. Think about it; it was Jesus Christ who actually showed us what true freedom was, even while He lived here on earth. He was free to not do His own will, but the will of Him who sent Him. Also, like Cain, we have the freedom to offer back to God this life that He has given us.
Do you have the freedom to offer God the best of your life? Do you offer God the “firstfruits” of your life, or is it the hand-me-downs and second-rate stuff that you can do without anyway? Does God get the best of your mind, or is it when you are tired and weary –after the two or three hours we give to the world through our television experience. Did you know that when we sit in front of that thing, we are in actuality offering up ourselves to receive what the “gods” of Hollywood have to offer? Our lives are being leavened with the yeast of the world very sublimely. I remember being a news freak a few years back. I couldn’t get enough of it; local news, world news and back to the local news. I even justified it by “paralleling it” with end-time prophecy. Well, my prayer time suffered for it. My spirit was prepared to meet with God. And because my prayer time suffered, my life itself suffered. All this was because I thought I had the freedom to live the way I thought was best, even while a Christian! The life I offered God was what was left over after I, and the world, was done with it. This should not be. Today I choose to be truly free. Today I choose to offer up to God the best of my life!
In fact, since the fall, mankind hasn’t known true freedom. Both Adam and Eve were influenced from without and subjected themselves to a whole new set of parameters, parameters that would close in on them continually, until they were not free at all. It happens everyday and in the lives of everyone who has ever lived. For instance, when I was a youth I had this freedom (so I thought) to choose a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. But, I never dreamed that all the time I was “freely” choosing this lifestyle, the lifestyle was corralling me into enslavement where my freedom was nothing more than an ideology at best.
My heart was deceiving me into thinking that I was still free, but my actions were proving otherwise. I was constantly thinking about drugs and alcohol, spending my money on drugs and alcohol and using drugs and alcohol. Can you see how my life was being fenced in? People do this with drugs, alcohol, sex, power and fame. Some folks are so trapped by money, which by the way, offers so much freedom in the beginning, but soon becomes a situation in which they can never spend a dime without some feeling of dismay.
When a man or women comes to Christ, the Spirit of God begins to lead them into a life of total freedom –whom the Son sets free is free indeed. God sets the parameters; See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trust in him will never be put to shame. 1Pe.2:6 The one who trusts in Jesus Christ has in effect, said, “Lord. I am giving you my life today and forever. I choose to surrender this life to you as an offering. The Son of God has set this man or woman free, from the oppression of the devil. He or she has been set free from the fear of death.
The act of choosing Christ is a step toward true freedom. Think about it; it was Jesus Christ who actually showed us what true freedom was, even while He lived here on earth. He was free to not do His own will, but the will of Him who sent Him. Also, like Cain, we have the freedom to offer back to God this life that He has given us.
Do you have the freedom to offer God the best of your life? Do you offer God the “firstfruits” of your life, or is it the hand-me-downs and second-rate stuff that you can do without anyway? Does God get the best of your mind, or is it when you are tired and weary –after the two or three hours we give to the world through our television experience. Did you know that when we sit in front of that thing, we are in actuality offering up ourselves to receive what the “gods” of Hollywood have to offer? Our lives are being leavened with the yeast of the world very sublimely. I remember being a news freak a few years back. I couldn’t get enough of it; local news, world news and back to the local news. I even justified it by “paralleling it” with end-time prophecy. Well, my prayer time suffered for it. My spirit was prepared to meet with God. And because my prayer time suffered, my life itself suffered. All this was because I thought I had the freedom to live the way I thought was best, even while a Christian! The life I offered God was what was left over after I, and the world, was done with it. This should not be. Today I choose to be truly free. Today I choose to offer up to God the best of my life!
Have
a God blessed week. Pastor Jim
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