Freedom to Serve

“¹For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…¹³For 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 5:1&13 (ESV)

This morning I am brought back to a passage I have been to many times. I have a number of notes in the margin and yet, I am still getting more and more each time I come to the Word of God.

God freed us from the yoke of sin with the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross. This freedom is not from any persecution, it is freedom from death due to my sin. This freedom has provided me the opportunity to serve God without fear of what comes in this world. I have to remember to follow the freedom as it was intended and not use it for my own license to sin. I have to use this freedom to spring me into action for the Lord and not for my own gain. That action for the Lord is rooted in serving Him by way of serving others.

What are you doing with your freedom? Are you using it as some excuse to do what you want? What if you were to embrace your freedom in God and use that freedom to serve Him through your service of others?

Freedom in the Spirit

Seems like when I make the statement as in the title of this writing, “Freedom in the Spirit”, I may be saying that freedom is not tangible and really only something that we are really not able to experience. Well that is not true at all. It is the word “the” that makes it completely different and does create the tangible thing for us all to experience.

“¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” — 2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV)

You see, here Paul is speaking of the Holy Spirit and as we know, the Lord is the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ all in one. And therefore, when we are dwelling in the Spirit and the Spirit in us, we are dwelling in the Lord and He in us. This dwelling gives us freedom from this world and all that is in it. Actually one of you following my blog gave the comment; “Being in close communion with the Trinity frees me from the lies spewed out by gov. big business and TV which promotes hatred, worry and confusion.” and I could not agree more. When we are in the Spirit, we are free from the influences of the world and are able to live a life above the world with Jesus.

I have to be careful as I do not want to mislead and indicated that I am greater than the world, that is not the case, as I live in this world just as everyone else does and am subject to what goes on in this world. What I am saying is that I do not have to worry with what goes on in this world, as I serve a higher power and when in service of God, the consequences of the world do not concern me as it is the favor of God that I am serving and not the favor of this world.

This favor of God is what gives me the freedom to live in this world and know that I am only here for a little while, passing through on my way to heaven where I will spend eternity. In heaven I will not have to concern myself with this world as I will no longer be it in and will live free to serve and glorify God even still.

Where are you looking for freedom? Are you looking to the world to provide freedom for you? What if you were to dwell in the Spirit to experience the freedom that comes with His dwelling in you?

The World is Waiting for the Freedom of Christians

I know that this is quite the statement from me. But it is not from me at all, I have gathered this from the passage I read this morning in Romans. Paul writes about future glory in Romans 8 and part of that future glory is freedom for creation.

“¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” — Romans 8:19-21 (ESV)

You see, right there in verse 19 Paul writes of the eager waiting by creation. And as you read further, you can see the waiting for the freedom that is experienced by the “children of God”.

Creation, the world itself, has been subjected to evil since Adam and Eve ate from the fruit in disobedience of God. Yes, the world is subjected to evil and has to wait for God’s redemption for the world to be relieved of the evil. That redemption of the world will be fully realized with the rapture and God’s win in the war with evil. So until that day, the world or creation will be waiting for the freedom that I have as a result of the gift of grace and salvation I have accepted from the LORD.

Yes I have freedom and yet the world does not. That is evident by simply watching the state of the world today and each day as we move forward. There is social upheaval, wars over ideologies, displays of “power” through authoritarian regimes, and just bad stuff happening all over. I have the ability to walk away from the evil and find solace in the family of God, as do the rest of my fellow Christians. The world does not have that ability and is subject to all that goes on in and around it.

The world waits on for the freedom of salvation. I can only do my part to bring the gift of the gospel and what salvation imparts to others. I present the gospel and allow others the opportunity to accept the free gift and experience the freedom that comes with it for themselves. Yet, the world must wait on the LORD to establish His freedom in the world as the world is not able to accept the freedom for itself.

What does freedom look like in you? What about your world, is freedom part of everywhere you go? What if you continued to do your part and brought the gospel to all persons and allowed them to accept, knowing that creation, or the world will not experience freedom until that day with Christ comes again?

Jesus’ Death and God’s Forgiveness, Once is Enough

It may sound a bit difficult to believe and after my writings to and understanding to continually ask for and seek out forgiveness from the LORD, but once is all it took for it all to take. Jesus’ death on the cross and God’s subsequent forgiveness of our sins only needed to happen once for the benefit to be realized.

“¹⁴For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified…¹⁷then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ ¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” — Hebrews 10:14 & 17-18 (ESV)

Here in Hebrews the writer reminds us of what I wrote above. The Jesus died and gave Himself as an offering of sacrifice for our sins and God recognized that sacrifice and forgave us. This one act took the place of all other sacrifices for sin that had, were, or will be offered. There is no longer the need for sacrifice for my sin as that has already been done and accepted.

But, that does not mean that I am without sin any longer. This is where the continued need for forgiveness comes in. Even with the one sacrifice and forgiveness event for my sins, I am still a sinner and in need of forgiveness. I have to recognize my sin and repent of it to the LORD in acknowledgment of His grace and salvation. I have to know that now that I have accepted grace and salvation from the LORD, I will not be plucked from His loving arms, I also have to remain humble and know that I will continue to sin and need His love each day.

Once was certainly enough for my salvation. I still need to present myself daily to the LORD on my knees in reverence of what He has given to me and ask that it continue as I will always be in need.

What process are you following for forgiveness? Are you continuing to offer sacrifice in belief that the next one will do it for the foreseeable future? What if you accepted that Jesus’ death and God’s Forgiveness was enough in the one instance and that we still need to present ourselves to Him recognizing that we are always in need?

Forgiveness, Continued Please

This morning I was brought to Hebrews and the passage titled, “Redemption Through the Blood of Christ”. Where I am thankful for the passage, I felt compelled to simply ask for continued forgiveness this morning.

As I sit here in Texas, USA, I am afforded freedom and protection (presumably) from other world actors and entities. I am up this morning reading God’s Word and blogging here without immediate fear of persecution. I am, thanks to the shed blood of Christ, have been forgiven of my sins from yesterday and of those I have yet to commit. I am a part of the family of God and know that I will not be plucked from His hand.

All of the above said, I am asking this morning for continued forgiveness and protection in this world that seems to be falling apart as we watch. Regardless of what is going on in this world, my world is protected by God, thanks to the grace and salvation that was offered by God and that I accepted to join Him in glory. And even with the grace and salvation acceptance, I still continue to ask for forgiveness as one time just is not enough in my heart to make things right with God (even though from His perspective it most certainly is enough).

You see, I know that we are in a difficult time and there are a lot of forces drawing us into the evil that is in the world. I am not going to blame anyone or any others for the position we are in, I will only apologize and ask for forgiveness and mercy from the LORD for me and His people as He is who is in control of all events and knows the outcome even now as things escalate. God is the only one who will save His people, and He will do just that, as our role is to give it to Him to do so and then do as we are asked as a part of His plan.

Our Father, thank you for your provision and blessings in our lives. Forgive me for where I have failed you and where I continue to fail you. Please have you hand of grace over your people and guide us as to where you would have us in your great plan, as it is your plan and we are here to do your will as pertains to that plan. I ask this in your name and glory, Amen.

What is your view of your standing in this world? Have you been forgiven? What if you ask for continued forgiveness, grace, and salvation and maintained your pledge to do the will of God?

Just Thanks for Forgiveness

This morning I only wish to say Thank You for the forgiveness that has been provided to me. And that thank you is directed to God the Father in heaven.

“¹³He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” — Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV)

There is not much to my thoughts, only the deep heartfelt thanks for the forgiveness of my sins that I have committed and will continue to commit. In fact, just this morning I confessed of a sin that I slipped into yesterday. I have struggled with this sin in my life and due to idleness, I allowed the evil one to draw me back in. I have no excuse for slipping, it was fully in my control and I allowed it to happen. Even in that slip, I know that my acknowledgment and repentance this morning leads to my forgiveness.

I am so glad that even in the disappointment with my sin, the LORD still forgives me. He loves me and knows that I am a sinner and will slip from time to time. What He is looking for from me is the acknowledgment that I have sinned and show repentance to be forgiven. At that repentance, from the heart, I will be forgiven. And, then the next step is to work to not sin again.

Thank you Father for the forgiveness that you heap upon me daily in my failures. I am ever grateful for your love and understanding of my sinfulness. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

What approach do you have as relates to your sin? Are you repentant of your sins? What if you were and were also thankful to the Father for the forgiveness of those sins?

Praise God for His Forgiveness

“³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,…⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” — Ephesians 1:3&7 (ESV)

Paul, writing to the churches around Ephesus, praises God and tells them why he praises Him. There is more to it than just the couple of verses I have quoted above, yet the message is clear in just these two. Praise God as He forgives us for the sins in our lives that we have repented, and that only comes from His grace which He freely gives to you and me.

I think that it is too often that when something good comes of our situations, we are relieved and then we move on to the next and experience the more difficulty and that leads to even more anxiety in our lives. It seems as though there is not always the acknowledgment of the relieving of the difficulty, not to mention where that relief comes from.

I believe that the relief comes from the grace of God in those times when we have repented of the sin in our lives and allow Him to do the work He does as we do the work we are tasked with doing for Him. I look to my own life and recent events where I have experienced the relief. I continue to pray daily praising God for His glory and the provisions and blessing in my life. No, I have not been made rich in monetary means, but I am rich in love. I daily repent for the sins I know I have committed and even those that I may not be cognizant of that have impacted the Him. I ask Him for forgiveness for the sins I will commit, and then again for those I did, all the while raising Him up.

In my life I have recently been promoted to a new position and found additional relief in other areas of my life and relationships, to which I know only came from the relationship I have with God and His continued provision and blessing on my life. I praise Him for it all and will continue to praise Him for who He is not what He does. I continue to ask for forgiveness even when I know that He already has forgiven me. I praise Him for that forgiveness and continue to ask for more, knowing that it is only He who provides and blesses and it is due to the relationship, acknowledgment of sin, repentance of sin, thanksgiving to Him for it all.

Without forgiveness, there would be no provision or blessing from God. Yes, there may still be prosper in certain aspects of life, financial or status and the like, but it is short lived and that leave one continually searching for that prosper. Without forgiveness, we are slaves to the next thing and not able to move forward with praise and thanksgiving.

Paul gives the example to you and me that we are to praise God for the provision and blessings in our lives thanks to our repentance of sin and His forgiveness, grace, and salvation that he pours out on us freely and in abundance.

What is your approach when you have found relief in your life? Are you praising God for the relief? What if you praise God for the forgiveness of your sins and praised Him for the relief as a result and then asked for more forgiveness through repentance?

Forgiveness for All

This morning I continue in the book of Acts in my study of “forgiveness”. I am in chapter 10 at the passage titled in my bible, “Gentiles Hear the Good News”. I am drawn to this passage and title as I feel as though Peter is speaking directly to me as a Gentile.

“³⁴So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’” — Acts 10:34-35 (ESV)

What a great opening to the passage. God is for all who acceptably do what is right and within His will. Peter makes it known right away that the gospel, grace, and salvation are for everyone and not just a select few. It is only required to repent, be forgiven, be baptized to be accepted into the family of God.

It seems like a simple thing, and it is. There are other parts that may make it more difficult, yet once one has been accepted into the family of God through forgiveness of sin, those more difficult things would become much less daunting. The prospects of contentment are solidified through the knowing that God will care for all of our needs and the rest just gets in the way or can be used for His glory. Take the instance of the young rich man who rejected Jesus as he could not part with all of his riches to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:16-22). As he was looking at only the physical, he missed out on the opportunity to enjoy and be a part of the family of God. He was not excluded based on God, but based on his own. He was not willing to do what was acceptably right in the eyes of God. It was his actions, or lack of actions.

I have to remember that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And that is not just those who are “bad” but every one of us. Knowing that I have a better view of the words of Peter here at the end of the passage in Acts.

“⁴³To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” — Acts 10:43 (ESV)

“Everyone” is afforded the opportunity for the forgiveness of sins. The pathway is clear and is noted continually throughout God’s Word. Grace and salvation is for ALL who, repent, are forgiven, are baptized to demonstrate the new, clean self, and then going to do the work of God wherever He asks you to go.

What do you know of those who are or have the opportunity for salvation? Are you of the opinion that only certain people are afforded the opportunity? What if you instead took the approach that ALL have the opportunity for grace and salvation through repentance, forgiveness, and baptism?

Continued Message and Work in Alignment with Jesus

John the Baptist was aligned with Jesus, before He really began His ministry. Jesus spent His time continuing to preach and teach of forgiveness following repentance and demonstration through baptism. And as He reached the end of His time here in this world, Jesus turned the work over to His disciples and me to continue with the same message to all through the Great Commission.

Peter is chronicled in Acts with delivering the same message of repentance and forgiveness and baptism as a demonstration of the continued work of Jesus.

“³⁸And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’” — Acts 2:38-39 (ESV)

I read this morning and every morning in the Word of God and see the consistency in the gospel. I do not see contradiction in the message. I see the continued delivery of the gospel as from God through others who have been tasked with that delivery. In this example, I see John the Baptist and Peter aligned with Jesus in the message even as one came before and the other after. And as I study and remember, Paul and Timothy and more contemporaries were aligned as well.

I am here in this world and am tasked with continued delivery of the gospel in alignment with Jesus. I am to be giving the message of repentance, forgiveness, and baptism as demonstration of my cleanliness and devotion to the work of Christ to do all He has me to do and to go everywhere He has me to go.

My path is likely different than yours and our field of evangelism will likely be different as well, yet our work and message is the same. We are to deliver the gospel and the message is repent, be forgiven and be baptized to demonstrate your new cleanliness and devotion to continue the work of Christ. The key is that last part in that we are to continue the work and message of Jesus everywhere He would have us go.

What is your take on the gospel and the work to be done? Are you trying to figure it all out and working to create a new plan of the work and message? What if you just continued the work and message in alignment with Jesus as those who came before you (John the Baptist, Jesus Himself, Peter, etc.)?

Forgiveness Follows Repentance

Being a Christian, and following the Baptist teachings, I believe in baptism upon repentance of sin and acceptance of Jesus as my savior. Now I am not wanting to get into the debate of which “religion” is right. I am only giving my thoughts into what God’s Word indicates to me and to draw attention to His Word for others to think and learn for themselves.

Mark, in the beginning of his gospel book, writes of John the Baptist and his role in the coming of Jesus. John, being Jesus’ cousin was tasked with preparing the way for Jesus and His ministry. When I think of preparing the way, I think of setting things up for the follower to simply pick up and go with it. Imagine preparing a conference room, or preparing a sporting field, or preparing a meal, or preparing a path. In each of them, the preparation is done to set up for others to be able to just get on with things. John was sent ahead to do just that for the ministry of Jesus.

Now, in this preparation, John began before Jesus and continued in demonstration of alignment with Him. Jesus was fully capable of just doing the work without someone to prepare the way for Him, yet that was not the plan and Jesus was certainly in line with God in the plan to save the world.

John, in his preparing of the way, followed, although some might think began, the teachings of Jesus. He was out proclaiming the coming of Jesus and did so, not for his own recognition, but to bring glory to Jesus and the LORD.

“⁷And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” — Mark 1:7-8 (ESV)

Now, let me get back to my thoughts this morning. John was preparing the way for Jesus and was doing so in following the teachings of Jesus. He was proclaiming the greatness of Jesus and the reason for His coming and the path to salvation. That path as we know from Jesus was to repent of sin, accept Jesus as your savior, and be baptized to show others that you have been washed clean and are starting new. John came before Jesus, yet was teaching and giving the same message, repent and be baptized to demonstrate your complete forgiveness.

“⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” — Mark 1:4 (ESV)

Jesus took away my sin and washed me clean by forgiveness of those sins only after I repented of those sins and no sooner. I acknowledged my sin and that I was in need of forgiveness and accepted the gift of salvation that is freely offered/given. I was washed clean in baptism thanks to my repentance and the forgiveness given. I was not baptized in hopes of being forgiven, I was baptized in obedience and in demonstration of the forgiveness I was afforded through my repentance of the sins in my life and that would continue in my life.

John preached the gospel of Jesus before Jesus, yet was aligned with the message that the way was to repent, be forgiven, and be baptized. John was not the savior of the world, that was Jesus, yet his message was the same. Our forgiveness comes after our repentance and not just because. Yes, Christ died for my sins and for that we should acknowledge, yet to experience that forgiveness, I had to first repent and I will continue to repent as I may be forgiven, but I am still a sinner.

What are your thoughts on forgiveness of sin in your life? Are you hoping to get to repentance at some point and are maybe pursuing things in the wrong order? What about following the preaching of John the Baptist that came before but was fully aligned with Jesus to repent, be forgiven, and then be baptized to demonstrate your repentance and forgiveness?