Friday, January 24, 2020

"..you were called to be free" - Galatians 5:13-14 (GNT)


Freedom isn't free if we choose to let our physical lusts and desires have free reign in our lives, we become captive to those desires, and they end up controlling us. It is like the tail wagging the dog. 

Jesus died to set us free from ourselves and the power that energizes our selfish desires. We all serve some master, whether it is our desire or the will of another, everyone serves someone or something else. 

What Jesus did on the cross was to eliminate the middle man. He put an end to the constant influence of Satan and his fallen angels who take our desires and twist them into thoughts of sin or evil. We can be free of these twisted desires and live without this constant barrage upon our minds, just by choosing Christ as our savior and realizing that He is a good master and only wants the best to be formed in our lives.

Now, why would we lay down our desires so that Christ could be formed in us? The reason is our desires in and of themselves lead only to death and destruction; they are utterly devoid of life, while serving Christ brings an awareness that His life is alive and working through us as it  brings new life to us and along with His peace.

The transformative power of Christ is what changes us and draws us deeper into a relationship with Him. We call Him Lord and master, but He is so much more, He is our closest friend and confidant.

"I have never called you' servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants, and servants don't always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that I've heard from my Father." John 15:15 (TPT)

Jesus is also closer to us than a lover, for he truly loves us passionately and will never leave us or forsake us. There are so many verses that tell us of the Lord's passionate love for us.

 "So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God's love. I'm convinced that his love will triumph over death, life's troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God's passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!" Romans 8:38-39 (TPT)

Jesus has put His trust in us by revealing His heart to us; He has become closer than a brother. His love transcends all of our experiences and our expectations, for He is God. 

The type of relationship I am speaking of that we have been offered with Jesus is intimate and passionate; it is in that relationship that we have this freedom from ourselves. We can choose to use that freedom wisely and receive His love to tell others of His love and demonstrate what true love is, or we can let selfishness have rule our physical desires which control us and keep us from experiencing the depths and breadth of His love for us and others. 

We don't lose ourselves in Jesus; we find ourselves and our real purpose for this life in Jesus Christ. When we realize that God created us for Himself, we become in touch with the truth of creation, that we were created for a purpose which is to love Him. He has already demonstrated that He loves us by dying on a cross to purchase us back to God. We have been restored to our proper standing with the Father through Jesus.

 "See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children—and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God." 1 John 3:1 (GNT)

One of the things mentioned in verse at the top of this post today is "love your neighbor as you love yourself," this can be difficult if you don't like yourself or have self-hatred. 

Loving yourself for who God made you is critical; it is one of the fundamental truths about faith in Christ Jesus. You are loved by Jesus first (before anything else). That love validates you and lets you know that His love is for you and not against you, you can give Him all our doubt, fear, and pain and ask him to heal your brokenness with His love and restore you into right relationship with yourself and with Him. 

You are loved and cherished as His special child, and that His love is yours for the taking. Jesus can reach into our past and heal what is broken by letting you know He was always there with you. He cried with you when you were hurting, laughed with you when you were happy, and embraced you when you were lonely, He was always there with you, and He is with you now.

"So when Jesus landed he had a huge crowd waiting for him. Seeing so many people, his heart was deeply moved with compassion toward them, so he healed all the sick who were in the crowd." Matthew 14:14 (TPT)

That is a resource that is worth sharing with your neighbors, people who also need to know that God loves them. He is your friend, confidant, lover, and healer. 

The love of God is our most excellent resource of all; He gives us life, and we have the freedom to love.

Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett

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