So here I am in the Land of the Free.
And so I guess it only makes sense that lately God has been teaching me about Freedom.
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
So Paul…that first sentence there…sounds a bit redundant, doesn’t it?
It is for freedom that Christ set us free.
So I guess freedom is probably kind of important to God then.
But what kind of freedom specifically is Paul talking about?
Well in the chapter before he talks a load about being free from slavery under the law.
Freedom from the weight of guilt and shame
that comes with not being able to hold up to the perfect law that God made for us.
And this only to those who have gained freedom under Jesus Christ.
So why then would God want to set us free from the very law He created?
Well, it is because God is way more concerned with our relationship with Him
then He is about how well our gold star/black dot ratio is.
You see the law was made for our good and it is still completely good.
But the whole time God was just trying to get our attention on Him.
So that is a lot of information summed up in a very short explanation.
If you’d like to learn more I definitely recommend checking it out.
Galatians 3-5 is a good place to start.
However,
What I want to talk about is more of the daily freedoms that God desires to give us.
And that we constantly refuse to our own detriment.
I’ve been realizing lately that God seriously loves freedom.
Like He talks about it constantly and He means for us to live in it constantly.
Honestly, most of His laws seem to be put in place in order to give freedom.
Sounds crazy doesn’t it?
A law for freedom.
But its true.
Shall I explain?
I believe I shall.
Most of the things that are important in this world actually enslave us.
What I mean by that is they cause stresses in our lives that we feel we need to fill.
But in everything, God always gives us an out that ultimately leads to more freedom.
And this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
We know that the world works completely opposite to what the Lord desires of us.
I’ll give a few examples.
Finances.
Everyone has them.
Everyone worries about them.
And everyone justifies worrying about them.
“I just need a new car.”
“I have to pay off my debt.”
“I have to support my family.”
All good and important causes that all inevitably bring stress and worry at some point.
Yet Jesus says on the Sermon on the Mount to not be anxious about anything!
Whether that be needing food, drink, or material items.
It may be just me but those things seem pretty important.
And here is Jesus saying “Don’t worry about whether those things will come or not.”
He poses the question to His crowd, “Which of you, by being anxious, adds a single hour to his life?
Then He ends it all by commanding them to stop worrying about the future.
Because He knows that God has it.
He has you.
He knows.
Even when it doesn’t look like He does.
The God of the Universe created you and knows every single thing about you.
So why doubt His plan for you?
Why doubt that He has your best in mind?
So here is what I mean about the whole freedom thing.
What if–and just stay with me for a second–what if we stopped worrying about finances?
At all.
Like just completely gave it up to the Lord.
No matter what happened.
And then on top of it, rejoiced in whatever came our way.
Whether good or bad.
I know, call me crazy.
But think of the freedom that would come from not having to do it all yourself!
Not having the weight of your future resting fully on your shoulders.
But instead giving it up to God.
What freedom!
Okay, one down.
So next, think of this.
What if the world is not about you?
I know, I know. I’m being ridiculous.
But just imagine.
What if the entire purpose of creation is not to glorify ourselves but to glorify God?
What if we are actually a pretty small part in a really big story?
Now I don’t mean to say we are not important.
We are.
But think of the freedoms you could have if you step back and realize He is the big picture.
Then your job was not established in order to serve you.
But it was you who were placed there to serve the Lord.
Then your wife was not created in order to make you happier.
But you were put together with her in order to reveal God’s love to the world
through your relationship.
Then your kids were not born so that they may reflect your leadership over them.
But God brought them into the world to further His Kingdom regardless of your parenting.
These all seem like factors that take the attention off us, I know.
But the thing is, doesn’t that free you up?
Doesn’t that allow you to take off the loads of responsibilities that you have placed on yourself.
And then give those to God?
When you aren’t the one deserving of all the rights and promotions and respect and glory
And you realize that God is, doesn’t that give you freedom to just serve your King.
And not any King, but the creator of the entire Universe?
Who loves you and wants to give you good gifts?
We’re fools for taking the center stage.
We fail as God.
We don’t deserve the glory.
But He does.
And when our job is no longer to earn that glory that is impossible for us to gain,
then we are freed up to accept the grace and mercy God gives us for our mistakes.
And to freely give that same grace and mercy to those around us.
What a wonderful thing freedom is, isn’t it?
Nod your head and say yes.
It is.
It is wonderful.
It is peaceful.
And honestly, it is God’s plan for us.
So find the things in your life that are enslaving you.
Usually they aren’t the things you’d expect.
And hand the chains over to God.
Don’t worry, He’ll break them for you.
You’re free.
UPDATE__________________________________________
The World Race
Catch me on Twitter at NinjaZachWR
or see my pictures on Instagram at NinjaZach.
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