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Past Ponderings

Friday, July 4, 2014

PONDERING... Freedom (Shocking... I know)

Disclaimer: The writer reserves the right not to be even remotely original...ever. Oh, and there is a terrifying story in this post.

As we celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day, Freedom, Justice, and the American Way... I am reminded of the following truth from Scripture.

John 8:31-36  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  32  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  33  They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"  34  Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.  35  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.  36  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

As we celebrate freedom, let's not forget the ultimate freedom given to us by Christ, and that any not freed by Him are still slaves to sin. It is easy to forget, as Jonathan Edwards put it so well, "How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in danger of this great wrath and infinite misery!" We so often overlook the gravity of our situation. Some even like to deny that we are slaves. However, like Paul, we cannot escape this captivity.

Romans 7:15-24 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  16  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.  17  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  18  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  19  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  20  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  21  So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  22  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,  23  but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  24  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

As I thought about this today, it reminded me of something that happened to me yesterday. I was doing some yard work and went to set up a bird bath that had been tipped over. While doing so, I bumped into one of the many bird feeders that the previous owners of our house have posted throughout our yard. To my great delight, the post was lose. So, I shook it a bit, and then, abandoning the bird bath altogether, began to pull it out of the ground. It came out fairly easily, so I balanced the feeder portion on my hip and walked across our yard to dispose of it. As I was walking, Melissa sent me a text. Promptly, I set the feeder down to check my phone. When I did this, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. In the bird feeder that I had been shaking, and pulling, and balancing on my hip was a swarming yellow-jacket nest!

I was blissfully ignorant of the danger. In fact, I was enjoying a good audio sermon at the time. I was unaware, but I was not free.

We, by nature, are slaves to our own sins.

James 1:14-15 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

But Jesus, by His sacrifice, has paid the price to set us free from a captor we could never escape. That's freedom!

Ponder, pray, and propagate your perceptions.

Happy 4th!

Upchurch

ENJOY SOME CLASSIC NEWSBOYS: I AM FREE


Reference:

Edwards, Jonathan. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." N.p., n.d. Web. 4 July 2014.




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