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| freedomFreedom: 1: the quality or state of being free: as a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence c: the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous d: ease, facility e: the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken f: improper familiarity g: boldness of conception or execution h: unrestricted use
synonyms: freedom, liberty, license mean the power or condition of acting without compulsion. freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated . liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion. license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.
--Marriam-Webster online
why am i starting out with a definition of freedom? well sometimes people (including myself) don't truly understand all that that word implies. that that word is in our vocabulary is no small achievement. we are free to live our lives like we do here in the US because of the men and women that gave their lives for it. their sacrifices give us the power to chose the lives we want to live. they went through the many horrors of war fighting for our country to give us the peace, freedom, and way of life we have today.
what if one of those men came up to you in tattered clothes (let's say he just got back from war) and still dirty from fighting and said, "i've been fighting for the freedom of my family at home and everyone else. see this wound? that's nothing. i have much worse pain inside of me because i've seen my buddies fall right in front of my eyes. i've seen the look of death in a man's eyes and heard his dying words. i made it through that knowing i fought for the freedom you have in this country. What have <i>you</i> done with what i have provided?"
of course i could have written that to be more elaborate, but the point is what <i>have</i> you done with that freedom? did you take advantage of it? did you waste it? take it for granted? i know i am probably guilty of all three. with my background, i have a hard time being super patriotic. it's nothing really against the country, i just am not really attached here. i still may not be that 'patriotic,' but i do want to honor those men who died to give me the chance to live here in this country. this country does have a lot of problems yes, but at least here we can speak out against them. most anywhere else you can't. in canada i believe you can be fined/put in jail just for speaking against homosexuality. elsewhere it is worse. i believe you know what i am talking about. if not ask me. but remember to thank those veterans who fought and died for the rights we have today.
the rights that really pops into my mind right now that they have given us is the right to free speech, assembly, and religion. we have churches on every corner just about here in the south. in China there are underground churches because the government won't allow Christianity. what we all have in common is our freedom in Christ. all of those freedoms we see above are physical and effect how we move about in the world. what Christ gave us is one that is spiritual and the ramifications are seen in eternity.
Jesus said,
"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:23)
this poses a question: do we live our lives in reverent fear of God?
just to be clear, this verse is <i>not</i> talking about Satan. Satan cannot destroy our body and soul in hell, especially since he himself is going there. God is the one that judges us and has the power to put us there. what this verse implies is that do we fear the all-powerful God that decides whether we go to heaven or hell? do we have fear (reverent respect) of our Creator?
It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
--Hebrews 10:31
so there's this other question: what if Jesus came up to us with His scars and asked us this question (besides the fact that we'd be on our faces worshiping Him), "my child, what <i>have</i> you done with what i have given you?"
Christ died for our spiritual freedoms...freedom from sin, from death, from fear, and on. how have we used that?
i know my answer would be not nearly enough. i've failed many times in my life and yet i am still able to come before God because of Christ's sacrifice for me. i've realized through studying and the help of teachers that we neglect that power because we become complacent and comfortable. we keep sinning because we rationalize it saying, "oh God will forgive me!" may this stop happening!! i am working on that in my own life. the way our mind works, we find any way we can to rationalize things. this is one easy way we Christians can do this. but this is an incredibly incorrect of living and going about things.
this leads me to the story of Joseph where he doesn't give the woman what she asks for. he didn't do it for many reasons, but his main one was because he didn't want to <i>sin</i> against <i>God</i>. he had his eyes set on things above and not on his flesh. he could have given into those desires, but he would have turned against God. when we live vertically (our eyes set above) instead of horizontally (our eyes set on the world and on the flesh), we won't fulfill the desires of our flesh, though we are still tempted. if we live horizontally we will fulfill the desires of our flesh and fall into temptation.
<small>The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
--Galatians 5:19-26</small>
since Christ died for our freedom, we have the choice to sin or not. we have the option to be freed from the slavery of sin. we wonder why things don't change in our lives and why things aren't different because we haven't been taught another way. it is ingrained through our culture and the like that we don't have the choice to sin or not and it is just going to happen. that is a <b><i>bold-faced <u>lie!</b></i></u> through Christ's blood we are given the choice whether to <i>stop</i> sinning or not. it doesn't mean that we have not sinned or anything like that. it means that through Christ we do not continue in the sin that we are in. Christ came to emancipate us, so that we could live more <u>abundantly</u>. we live more abundantly because we are dead to sin and alive in Christ who is in us!
this leads me to this: does God know your name? does he know you?
you may question what i am asking here and might think it is absurd, but it is Scriptural and here is why. does God know your name because you come to Him and call on His name? do you live for Him so that He would know your name on the day of judgment?
<small>For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
--Matthew 16:27</small>
and the real kicker:
<small>Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"<i>Not everyone</i> who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but <u>only</u> he who does the <b>will</b> of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day,<i> 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'</i> Then I will tell them plainly,<b> 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'</b>
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. <b>But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand</b>. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
--Matthew 7:17-29 (font changes added)</small>
so how do we know the will of God so that we can enter heaven?
<small>It is God's <b><i>will</b></i> that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
--1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (font changes added)</small>
we can know God through other ways, but it starts here. we have to begin to die to sin and die to sin so that we can know the will of God through prayer, reading the Word, and instances where God reveals His will through say, people and other means.
in conclusion, we have veterans to thank for the freedom we have here in this country. but ultimately, we should be praising God for Christ's sacrifice for us so that we are freed from sin so that we can live for the glory of God. i pray that God would know our names in the day of judgment because we decided to live our lives apart from sin and chose Christ as our master. if you want information on that, there is a note called "slavery" that is also in my notes and deals with that. i pray that this helps everyone in their daily walks with Christ.
a servant of Christ,
kurt
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| what do you throw away?warning: this note might be all over the place...i'm still tired! :-p
what do we throw away when we get really tired or really busy? is it our friends, time on facebook, etc?
i noticed for me, especially during finals week what priorities i have
when things just get absolutely nuts. my friends came first because of
course they are leaving and naturally one wants to spend as much time
with them as possible. most are coming back, and some aren't. it made
me all the more fervent to spend time with them. then i think came
school. of course i had to study and do decent on my finals to get good
grades and not waste the money i spent on school. then it was cleaning
and packing to move out of the dorm. then maybe sleep. i got what?
maybe 20 hours at most this week? i can't even remember. then my final
point comes...time with God. i spent an abhorrently less amount of time
than normal trying to keep my relationship with God up during this
time. it was hard with all of my time commitments, work, and lack of
sleep. i was either mostly out of time or just so tired it was hard to
focus. i put my body through a lot this week, and my mind through much
more. it took its toll on me. i am still tired and worn out. but what
i've realized is i should have still been more focused on God during
that time. i feel spiritually lacking and so thirsty for God, because i
surely didn't get my fill this week. what this has shown me is i need
to prioritize my time with God much better. i know i can't go on
putting God at the bottom of the food chain when things get really
busy. it makes me feel like i lack so much spiritually. i hate it to be
honest. i hate what i see in myself when i don't spend enough time with
God. i hope some can relate to that. what i am saying is we can't throw
away our time for God no matter how busy we get. we all fall to victim
to this at some point.
here's some advice that i try to follow, though this week i didn't do so well at it as i previously stated:
when things get busy, talk to God while you are doing your work or the
activity. try to say a prayer or be in prayer as much as you can during
that time. it's about communicating and spending time with God to grow
closer to Him. i've found that praying during work is refreshing. it
gets your mind off of it for a bit when you need it and helps
concentration. it's mood lifting too. there were many days during the
summer when i didn't feel like shoveling sand at the crack of dawn but
praying about it helps. it was still hard yes, but i felt like i had a
much better perspective on the day.
try to manage your sleep and time so that you can get time to read and
study. any time you can get is good, no matter how short or long as
long as you can be in the Word. sometimes managing time can be
hard...so it's a learning experience to see what works. plan a time if
you can so that you can be as awake as possible so you can dwell and
think more clearly about what you are reading and praying about.
have deep, Godly conversations with your friends if they are the ones
that take up most of your time. i wish i would have done this more, but
it is incredible when it does happen. you see truths that God is
showing you as well as growing closer to your friends on a deeper
level. you also get to enjoy your time with them!
that's all i have for now, and if anyone comes up with suggestions for ways to do this please do tell! :) | | |
| run down and beaten to the floorwe all feel like that sometimes, especially now that the semester is
coming to a close. we are all fatigued, worn out, and weary. we've been
through another busy year. we've been through struggles with friends,
school, and home. it's this time of year that it really starts to wear
on all of us. those things are only the normal things that happen
during the course of a year. sometimes we go through things that we
normally don't go through on top of our normal stresses. it makes it
that much harder to keep going. it makes it that much harder to keep
positive, to not give up, to just keep going. lately i've been
wondering if i can make it. i'm one of those people whos had abnormal
stress on top of normal stress, which makes things so much harder. i'm
weary, but i'm not willing to give up. Jesus was so much more weary
than i could ever be. he had to bear the burdens of knowing he would
have to suffer a terrible death and bear all of our sins, and face the
rejection of God
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
--Matt. 27:46
we tend to forget what Christ went through for us, and i am one of
them. tonight i was reminded of the magnitude of this. who are we to
think that Christ can't help us when we are weary and burdened? can we
just trust God and know that He is in control and has our best
interests in mind? it is so comforting to know that God is in control
despite dire circumstances because of our finiteness. we can trust our
infinite God.
can't we go to the one who knows this most, and most of all knows our
hearts and can give us strength and peace? the obvious answer to the
last question is yes. with Christ's strength we can
make it through all of this. i for one don't have much left in me, and
i am so joyful that i have Christ to rely on. it's the most perfect
second wind we can get and it doesn't go away, so long as we keep our
focus on Christ.
another important thing is that we praise God despite our
circumstances. it's the most important thing we can do. it shows that
God can get praise no matter what we are going through and it simply
brings joy. it's the one thing that can keep us going...praising God
and finding happiness through the wonder of Him and His character. God
will bless us through it.
we also have to keep in constant prayer. fellowship with God is
important, especially when we are tired and don't feel like making the
effort. the same goes for reading the Word as well. it's key that we
keep fellowship with God and keep the Word close to our hearts.
so i'll say this, i know times are rough, but it's time we chose to
rely on Christ instead of ourselves and those surrounding us...and just
praise God no matter what our circumstance...and keep in prayer and
have the Word close to your heart.
i pray that this helps those that are in need of lifting up. i just pray that this helps.
a servant of Christ,
kurt | | |
| i am merely a servant of Christately i've heard people comment about how i'm different and how i serve God with passion.
think about this-- how should i be different? why should i have to
stick out from the crowd? shouldn't other Christians be stepping up?
am i not like any other Christian? yes and no. yes, i am like many Christians in that i serve Christ, but not in how i do it.
i am not like most in that i want to dedicate every area of my life to
Christ. too many times i see people say that they are Christians and
devote one area of their lives to Christ yet totally withhold other
areas of their lives for themselves. what they are doing is making them
ineffective in serving Christ. Christ doesn't want some of you, he
wants ALL of you. he wants all of me, you, and everyone.
i don't strive to make myself look good or look like i am better than
everyone else, i just want to commit everything i have for God. why
can't everyone else get that? i simply want to be a humble servant of
Christ...and i pray that i can keep strong in Christ so that i can
continue to follow Him and His ways.
i am just trying my best with the Lord's strength to live my life for Christ, why can't you do the same?
We live by grace through faith alone with Jesus Christ
who died to set us free through change; our flesh can give.
You know that even if you were the only one He died for,
that means only your sins drove the nails.
--Jonah33
Search me, know me
Try me and see
Every worthless affection hidden in me
All I'm asking for is that You'd cleanse me, Lord
Create in me a heart that's clean
Conquer the power of secret shame
Come wash away the guilty stain of all my sin
Clothe me in robes of righteousness
Cover my nakedness with grace
All of my life before You now I humbly bring
--Jonah3 | | |
| holy, holy, holy is the Lamb of GodYou are my hope
You are my strength
You are my everything
the thing that i crave and desire
Your works are wonderful
beyond comprehension
oh how happy i am in You
to just simply
trust and obey you oh God
i will dance and sing
turn the music loud
no matter where i've been and what i've done
he's been there with me
it's so wonderful just to be here now
in Your glorious presence
just praising you oh God
Lord i praise you for coming when
i needed you so desperately
when i had no one else
when i couldn't provide on my own
You scooped me up in Your hands
and said trust me
Lord i can't wait until the day
when i can feel your true power
and just praise You oh God
God you are so glorious
i lift my hands in praise to you
and worship you with all of my heart
Lord i would be satisfied doing this
all the rest of my days
just to praise You oh God
Lord how can anyone know of Your works
if no one proclaims them?
if no one praises Your name?
if no one shouts praises and hymns of joy to the heavens
just to praise you oh God?
Yours alone is Your majesty
Yours alone is Your power
Yours alone is Your truth
Yours alone is Your wonderful love
Yours alone is Your mercy
Yours alone is Your grace
and to You alone i wish
just to praise You oh God!
to you oh King of glory goes the glory
and honor
and praise
forever
He is the One
He is Jesus
amen. | | |
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