Thursday, June 29, 2006

• Freedom can be dangerous. Even - maybe especially - freedom in Christ.
  
  Freedom can destroy lives, destroy souls. Maybe this is where doctrine and rules come in. If there are no rules, no path to follow, people simply follow wherever their minds take them. Or worse, they follow where others' minds take them.
  
  Sheep. Baby birds. The blind leading the blind. Knowing freedom, but not having the wisdom to use it. Having no wings.
  
  Unless........you are tethered to wisdom. Tethered to God, tethered to Christ. Let go of Him, and sink. I've noticed myself sinking lately. I know He's been trying to tell me this for weeks. And I haven't listened. So He had to have two other people tell me, without ever bringing God, Christ, or religion into the discussion.
  
  My Shepherd gently leads.
  
  I'm reminded of the story of Peter walking on water. He enjoyed that freedom to walk with Christ on the water. But sank as soon as his focus left his God in Christ.
  
  I've noticed a lot of people lately talk about how they've been spending more time with  Jesus and noting how much they needed that.  We all need that.  Without that connection, we can indeed sink like a rock.
  
  I'm not talking about reading the Bible every day, or going to church regularly, spending an hour a day in prayer, or any of those rules. Yes, they are there for a reason. Many people simply don't know what to do with their freedom in Christ.  I guess it's better than nothing...
  
  No, scratch that. It isn't necessarily. No....
  
  Many people don't know what to do with freedom in Christ even following them to the letter. That was a problem in Jesus' own time. Still is.
  
  They don't get it. It's about God, not following the rules to be compliant. God cares more about following the first and second great commandments a lot more than any of the rules, than any belief in doctrine.
  
  There is as much danger in the comfort of belief in doctrine as there is in believing your freedom means anything you choose to do or think is okay. Adhering to rigid doctrine and rules gives you an illusion of being okay, being on track, when in fact you may be drowning at sea and not even know it.
  
  What is the answer? Knowing the God who is. Not just what books and doctrine say about Him, but knowing Him, being securely connected to Him.
  
  Being so aware of who He is, so aware of what it's like to be in His presence, in His embrace, that when you lose your grasp of Him, it nags at you until it finally gets your attention and you reconnect.
  
  ********************
  
  Here's the before and after of Morning Light
  
  Before editing:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  And after:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • 6:23 AM
  • 1 view
  • 20 eprops
  • 11 comments