Free to Choose?

 

In discussions about busyness, my husband often says we are busy by choice. Thinking about the many interruptions that I do not choose, he makes me realize how often I must say NO and keep my calendar the way it is, or YES and become busier than I want to be.

It is the same with freedom. In a discussion about living in truth or living in errors promoted by false teachers, the Bible says, “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19) In other words, we pick our slave-driver. Will it be such things as false teaching from the world, selfishness in the flesh, or the lies of the devil? Or will it be the freedom of serving Jesus Christ?

I know some think that serving Christ is also bondage, but only because they have mistaken the choices. For example, the Christians in Galatia began their spiritual life with faith. However, instead of living by faith and walking in the Spirit, they tried to become what they thought God wanted them to be by being “made perfect by the flesh” and began a descent from a life of faith to living by rules and laws. They needed to hear again these truths:

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

The reasons for falling back into law are simple. One is a failure to build faith. Faith grows as we hear and obey God. He tells us to be “like newborn infants, longing for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2) and to not forsake fellowship with other believers. But it isn’t that simple. The flesh or old nature is crucified with Christ yet tries to tell us how to live and that we cannot be happy unless our ego is fed, our pride rewarded, blah, blah, blah. This noise is enhanced by false teaching:

Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— (Galatians 2:4)

There are many biblical warnings, all of them saying that such slavery happens by choice:

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:3–6)
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)
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

When my old nature wants to run my life, the Bible is filled with warnings about the consequences and how that choice is sin. It says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

Another driving force for living by rules is that nattering voice that says “you will never be good enough” along with the fear of death and standing before God without any claim at all. To this, God says:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

It boils down to choices. Some people say God give us the freedom to choose, but without Jesus in our lives, we are incapable of choosing godliness. That freedom only comes to those who have faith in Him. Then I can choose to live for Him out of love, or to live by rules thinking that will please Him, but that is not what He died to give me.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

PRAY: Jesus, Your grace is utterly amazing. Living it out is a challenge only because it offers a freedom that is about obedience motivated by love. There is nothing for me in obedience for doing Your will brings glory to You. However, You have already given me everything I need. May my life honor You because You have honored and blessed me with the ability to choose freedom.

He is my Father

Fiction in books or movies sometimes tells of a person who discovers they are not the natural child of their parents but were adopted. In most of these stories, that news is not welcome or at least very shocking. My imagination takes me there at times. Was I adopted? Did my parents pick me from a list of available infants? If that were true, how would I react? Would I be glad that I had been selected? Or dismayed that no one told me?

In the spiritual realm, the idea of adoption is good news. Scripture tells me that I have been taken from a life of bondage to sin and put into the household and family of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)

The question is: do I know it? Do I really understand the implications of being an adopted child of God? Or does that old spirit of bondage still rule my innermost attitudes? The change that comes to a person when they discover that they are adopted is often negative, at least at first. However, for a sinful person who cannot break free from the habits of sin and discovers that a spiritual adoption has taken place — this should be the greatest news, a news that brings great comfort and joy to the heart.

So the question is what idea rules? As today’s devotional says, no amount of wrestling or agonizing, no prayers and no effort, can bring comfort while the “spirit of adoption” is missing. Yet this is something to realize rather than receive. It is that discovery that God is my Father and I am His child. Whatever focus I have will be reflected in how I think about my relationship with Him. The emphasis for these past few days is that God is my Father beyond any other thought about Him. Yes, He is King, Judge, Lawgiver, Provider, and a host of other things, but that Father-child relationship puts all other notions about Him into perspective.

The great need for every soul is this supreme discovery. Read what Christ says about the Father and how the NT repeats that truth and believe it. How sad for anyone who will not:

Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. (John 3:11)

The implication of not believing is serious business concerning the authority of Christ:

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. (1 John 5:10)

By not believing, I would be saying God is a liar. If that is so, where then is truth? Society says whatever each person believes is true is “true for them” causing all sorts of contradictions in theology, and life itself. A careful reading of today’s verses also shows that this rejection of God’s truth means the rule of a spirit of slavery (to sin and selfishness) and the rule of fear which is characteristic of that bondage.

PRAY: Our Father, my Father, how blessed to know that You adopted me and are setting me free from bondage and fear. I can trust You with all my heart for You are worthy and true. Thank You for the freedom that being adopted has given me.

Our Main Caregiver…

Most of us played ‘doctor’ when we were young. In those days, a doctor had a higher reputation. Same with fathers. When we played ‘house’ we were happy if any boy in the group was willing to be the father. Nowadays, the role of father like the role of a doctor has lost more of its sparkle.

That does not negate the importance of a father’s role. This is illustrated in the NT where the term is used for God more than two hundred times, sometimes with great affection. These three use the term “Abba” which similar to our word “Daddy.”

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6)

Yesterday and today I missed my daddy. Mom worried and stewed taking care of me, but he was able to ‘care with confidence’. However, my hubby took that role. A few times I looked at him and thought of how my dad ministered to me.
All this is to say that our Great Physician needs no stethoscope or pills. He is still able to just say a word bring healing, yet if for reasons I do not understand, I’m to suffer a bit more, He is still caring for me as my loving Father.

Praiseworthy

 

Daily devotions keep my ‘all over the place’ mind in focus on God and His glory. Things do happen that take my mind into distressing thoughts. The daily news can do it. So can the trials my friends suffer (until I pray for them) or the unbelief I see all around me. Yesterday was filled with all these distractions. I also pushed the wrong reset button on my phone and stayed up too late trying to restore it. 🙄

This morning God is at work to refocus my heart. I could work on the phone restoration. I will pray for family and unsaved friends even though nothing may change. Yet the Lord can restore that wonderful sense that He is in charge. For me, it isn’t necessarily looking at the future but that is not a bad idea. Life can be crappy, but perfection is promised:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:3-4)

First, God is my “blessed” God. He is worthy of blessing, adoration, praise, or worship, particularly in view of what He grants to His children.

Second, I can call Him “Father.”

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:4–6)

The OT people of God normally did not use that term for God, at least not with the same intimacy. “Abba” is a term like “Daddy” and suggests much more than the OT verses that call Him Father as Creator and Redeemer. Having an intimate relationship with the Lord God is wonderful in the sense of being protected from spiritual enemies, teaching spiritual truth, and being supplied with all I need, yet calling Him “Daddy” is  incredible.

 Another reality concerning Him as Father is His relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship is too often compared to the human father/son relationship but it is far more, and the Jews of Jesus’ day knew it when Jesus said:

I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:30–33)

Those two verses from 1 Peter say much about the identity of Jesus. He is “our Lord Jesus Christ” which  amplifies His redemptive work, speaks of His sovereign rulership, His name as God in human flesh and His position as the Messiah, the anointed King. However, that little pronoun “our” stresses that He is “our Lord Jesus Christ,” a personal Lord and Savior, not some distant, impersonal deity. He created and redeemed me because He loves me and wants to be intimately involved in every aspect of my life.

PRAY: Jesus, what more can I say? I could complain about my lot in life, the mess the world is in, the sad state of many people, and the unbelief all around me. but You are a glorious God that I can worship and serve. Grant me grace and the fullness of Your Spirit to keep You first and foremost in my thoughts, words, and deeds all day, for this is what You deserve.

PONDER: the excellencies of God and think continually of His sovereign power and wisdom. He knows what He is doing and He does all things well . . . for His glory and for the blessing of those He calls His children.