Freedom

Gal:5:13

You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature, rather serve one another in love.

Called to be free. But there is no license to use that freedom for whatever you want, and live a life however you want.

Freedom that Christ promises is not freedom to do whatever you desire. But it's freedom from the yoke of sin. To be released from the power of sin and to do not what we want, but what we ought. As planned by God, the good and perfect plan.

Freedom is not licentiousness. Freedom is allegiance. Freedom is obedience. Freedom is trust. Freedom is deliverance. Freedom is believing the truth. Freedom is abundant life - life in its fullness - as promised. Freedom is liberation.

Image courtesy: https://www.alwaysonpurpose.com/2021/02/4-step-process-to-find-true-freedom/

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Love beyond the enemy line - a poem

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Gal:3:26 Enemy I was; born to hate Him. Told to hate Him; I was His sworn in enemy. I had declared rebellion. I did not have anything to do with Him. And His good and perfect will. I was comfortable in my own way. In my old master's way. Rather, I was really really uncomfortable there. His hatred to sin, made me His enemy too. Yet. He loved me. I don't understand. Though I was far away behind the enemy line, He saw me. For He was my Creator. For He was my Husband. But I turned my face away. In hatred. Someone had to pay the ransom to set me free. Even when I was unwilling. Grace, prompted Him to do it Himself. Unending love; He gave Himself over for my sake. To be tortured, to be 'punished', to be killed. So that I could be saved. I saw that far beyond in that line. Insignificant as I am, did He do it with me in His mind? He looked at me with passion. He told my name - 'for you I endure' and ...

Trust the process

Thorn in the flesh. To keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me - to keep me from exalting myself. 2 Cor:12:7 Is there something which is a constant pain for you? Something which has not sorted out yet? Something for which you have fasted and prayed but hasn't worked out still? The pain is still there for a purpose dear one. To keep you from exalting yourself. To keep yourself humble. Know that your Abba is in control. He is Sovereign. He is good. And He will not allow anything beyond what you can endure. He has allowed this with a purpose. So when prayers are still unanswered, rejoice. For God is in control. He has this for a purpose. You might not get the big picture now. But God knows. Trust the process.

Be a man.

1 Cor:16:13 Be on the alert, stand firm in faith; act like men; be strong. Watch out. Look out. Be on the alert. Stand firm in faith. That is what men do. Be strong. Stay strong. Dwindling in your trust in God is what children do. Act like the man you are. Be a man. Stay strong on your faith. No matter what happens, hold fast to your God. That is mature faith. Do not let go to fear or anxiety. Be strong. Faith is trusting God, the Father despite what the circumstances look like. Knowing fully that He is in control. That He will take care and thats enough. He is enough. Image credit; https://www.freepik.com/premium-photo/hand-holding-fist-symbol-determination_139829368.htm

Why do I quickly desert?

I am amazed that you are quickly deserting Him who called you. Gal:1:6 How do I desert Him who called me? By believing in a different gospel! How has your belief changed? Has self sufficiency creeped in; instead of absolute trust? Has materialism barged in; instead of simplicity? Has pride crawled in; instead of humility and self denial? He should increase. And I should decrease. Paul the greatest missionary, the saintest of us all, trained and knowledgeable of all spiritual doctrines and truth, says I am a bond servant of Christ; I am the worst of all sinners. Where is the sin consciousness in me? Where is the person I used to be? Where is the passion to know Him? Where is the urgency to repent and correct myself for His sake? How did I get diluted? Why do I seek favour of men? Why do I live a life trying to please men; rather than God? Why are my standards that of the world? Why do I neglect the standards of God? Why do I give more importance to the outwardly e...

Compels us

2 Cor:5:14 Christ's love controls us. Christ's love compels us. It pushes us to obey radically, illogically (in world's eye view). There are people who forsake a lucrative career and prospective of earning tonnes, to go out to the unreached. There are people who forsake scholarships to Oxford and Yale and high scores in competitive exams, just to obey what their Father has told them. I know such people personally. But did they gain something (in accordance to the standards of the world)? Nothing. They have only lost. But they go back, contented, satisfied, knowing fully that they obeyed what their Father has told them to do, in His wonderful and perfect plan. Because this God's love compels them. In the middle of joint pains and frustrations, if you have been available for your brother. In the middle of your prospective career growth, if you are taking an off route, because you felt called to do something different. When others are running in on...

Endure

2 Cor:4:18 For the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal. Unless we live with this perspective, there is no hope, there is no strength to endure, there is no sap left to hold on. For endurance depends on your ability to look beyond the physical to the spiritual, beyond the present to the eternal and beyond the visible to the invisible. It is not imaginary. But a reality into which we place our trust. Therefore our afflictions though may appear heavy when we face it, it is in reality light and momentary, for the glory awaiting is much more heavy - far beyond any comparison. So look forward. Look beyond. Focus on eternal things. Store up treasures in heaven and not here in this earth. Set your heart in treasures above. That will help you to face your afflictions here on this side of eternity. That will help you to have faith and put your trust in the One who called you. He will not leave you half way. He who has taken care of your et...

Rekindle

Test yourselves to see, if you are in faith, examine yourselves. 2 Cor:13:5 This is something which we need to do repeatedly in our lives. To test our faith; to test the genuineness of our faith. Not about the saving faith we had once. That is not something that you might lose. For it says that, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and behold the new has come. It also says that; now there is no condemnation for those who are in the Lord Jesus It says about the earnestness of your faith. Have you grown in your trust in Jesus? Has your love grown cold? Is spending time in His presence a burden and a sense of responsibility rather than an excitement and an emotion? Where is your first love? You cannot lose faith. But you can freeze it and make it dead. Beware. How do you test? Keep checking. Keep reassesing. Take regular introspections, to see whether you are growing or stunted? Prune things which are unnecessary. Unwanted commitments. Unwarrante...

The halfbaked Bard

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