If you think we live in a wonderful world where cooperation and desire is all we need for world peace, you are either young or you have your head stuck in the sand. We live in a world where people of power only want more power and people of money only want more money. We live in a world where we do not want to be governed by rules but want to live by the desires of our heart. We are self-centered and hypocritical of our freedoms. We want freedom for ourselves at the same time we deny it to others.
We live in a world where life has no value except for our own. The whole world is hypocritical in it's values and freedoms, stating one thing and condemning another. But don't you dare point this out to anyone or you will become the next target. Is there any authority we can trust?
The answer to that question is yes but it is an authority that most continue to run from because it is an authority that dares say there is a right and wrong in this world and not everything is okay. It is an authority that draws a line and says there is holy and there is common, now be holy. That authority is our Father and our Father has placed all authority under his son, Jesus. What a foolish world we live in.
Our Father stated through the Psalmist:
Why do the nations plot,
and why do their people
make useless plans?
2 The kings of this earth
have all joined together
to turn against the Lord
and his chosen one.
3 They say, “Let’s cut the ropes
and set ourselves free!” (Psalm 2:1-3)
Freedom is a lie, an illusion at best. There is no such thing as freedom. People think they are free but they simply do what the father of lies has seeded in them to do. They think their ideas, their desires, their "freedoms" are original and earned but it is all an illusion. They parade down our city streets, fill the television and movie screens, sing about it and believe their loudness makes them right. They are nothing more than slaves to a madness that drives them further from the only love that can bring real freedom from such madness. But we who are in Christ must understand that we too are slaves.
Jesus did state that whoever he sets free is free indeed but the freedom he proclaimed is the freedom from the enslavement of our sin nature. This sin nature robs us of the ability to choose our Father's love. Jesus broke the power of sin over us so that we would have the true freedom of choice but once we made this choice we became slaves to our Father's righteousness, but a slavery of our choosing:
What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God’s wonderful kindness and not by the Law? Certainly not! Don’t you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you obeyed the teaching you received from me. Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God. (Romans 6:15-18)
What an eye opener: Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? Freedom in society to do whatever we desire is only an illusion of freedom as we are enslaved to the sins that control us. The nations plot in vain; they cannot overcome the righteousness of our God. They can't touch his glory. They can't even approach his holy throne. But his children can; his children who walk in obedience to their Father. How awesome is our God? How wonderful that he would make this available to anyone who would choose to accept it?
Maybe if we saw ourselves in these crude human terms that pale in their explanation of our incredible relationship with our Father and his son, Jesus, we would stop struggling to be who he has crafted us to be. We have a freedom that few can understand. We are free from guilt, shame, fear, worry, mistrust, unforgiveness, revenge, hatred, sleeplessness, and everything else associated with a life enslaved to sin. We are so much more than this world can imagine and so is our Father and our King. So is the Church. So is prayer. So is a life of righteousness.
Stop being so concerned about the plots of this world, the governments, the nations and their people. God knows them and he knows the plans he has made for us, to build us up and not tear us down. The path of righteousness he has set us upon is an excellent path that brings us much joy to walk upon. So I ask you, Christian, who will you choose to serve this day? What freedom will you walk in? Will you lift your eyes to the heavens and declare before your enemies today:
BECAUSE YOU ARE MY GOD!
and walk the path set before you?
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