Tag: freedom

The Truth Will Set You Free

John 7-8

Devotion by JJ Fletcher (Minnesota)

Freedom. An idea. A goal. A buzzword? During election cycles, we hear candidates speak about freedoms that the other side of the political spectrum is trampling or encroaching on. Those of us who live in the United States enjoy many freedoms that are not experienced in other parts of the world. While there are some exceptions, we enjoy freedom of speech and expression. We enjoy the freedom of expressing our beliefs and following whichever faith tradition we choose (or we can choose not to believe in anything in particular). 

We have to follow the laws of the land, but we don’t typically have to worry about occupying forces that try to control our populace. On the flip side, the incarceration rate in the U.S. is the highest of any independent country with democratic ideals, and it has the most incarcerated people of any nation. While the U.S. has eliminated slavery, there is still an issue with human trafficking, and there are nations that still have forms of forced labor practices.

The Israelites had a history of slavery and occupation. They were in Egypt for over 400 years, around half of that being enslaved to the Egyptians. Throughout their history, there were other occupations, including the Roman occupation that existed at the time of Jesus’ ministry.

In John 8:32, Jesus said to those who believed in him, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”.  Though they lived under occupation, the Jews were not enslaved, and this pronouncement from Jesus befuddled them. They didn’t know slavery, so how or why would they need to be set free?

Jesus is, of course, speaking of the enslaving forces of sin. Whoever practices sin is a slave to it. The Apostle Paul writes that the wages of sin are death. So, this enslavement that Jesus speaks of is that sin that leads to death. The Mosaic Law highlighted sin, made sin apparent in the lives of those under it, but the law did not eliminate sin. The law did not remove temptation and the desire to sin. Jesus, on the other hand, suggests that his teaching holds the keys to throwing off the shackles of sin and death. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. In verse 36, Jesus says, “If the Son has set you free, then you are free indeed”. Jesus’ teachings were/are powerful and are important to follow, but we also need to remember his place as the lamb who was slain to liberate the captives of sin. Our ability to obey Jesus doesn’t free us from sin, but our allegiance to Jesus and his words can give us victory in our daily battles with sin. Jesus paid the price and gives us victory over sin through the New Covenant that is sealed by his blood. While we suffer and struggle with sin, we should not feel enslaved to it because Jesus has already liberated us from the penalty of sin. A great reminder from John later in chapter 14: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. 

Reflection Questions:

1.        Do you ever feel enslaved to sin? Do you question why you still feel inclined to sin, even though Jesus has brought forgiveness to you? 

2.        What can you do to deal with temptation? Do we sometimes set ourselves up to sin by not being careful about the situations we allow ourselves to be in? 

3.        Is it encouraging to know that Jesus has given liberation from sin and death, even if we are still experiencing the effects of them? How does this frame how you approach sin? We don’t need to defeat sin; we need to submit to the one who did. How can you take that approach day by day? 

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Where is your citizenship?

Old Testament: 2 Kings 23-25

Poetry: Ps. 138

New Testament: Philippians 3

The place where we live is so central to who we are as people. It truly is one of the most important parts of our identity. It changes everything: from the foods we like, the music we listen to, the political parties we vote for, our priorities… basically everything. I’m from the south, and I remember going to our national church camp, FUEL, in the summer and being teased for the way we talk, the types of drinks we like (Who doesn’t like sweet tea? Oh right, all you northerners.), and the music we listen to. Before going to these camps, none of those things even struck me as weird. It was just the way everyone around me lived. Where we live can define us. But, we have a more important citizenship – a more important place of belonging – than just our physical address. 

Today, we read about the final demise of the Israelite nation. From the beginning, when God called Abraham out of the future land of Babylon and into the promised land of Canaan – the future land of Israel, there was a beacon of hope and assurance that God was for the Israelite people and would come to their aid. They were his people. 

Even though Josiah instituted reforms to bring his people back to God, the evil the people of Judah had done was so great that God promised, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there” (2 Kings 23: 27). The devastating consequence of sin is the removal of belonging with God. This meant that the people of Judah – the last remnant of the Israelites who had settled in Canaan – could no longer find their citizenship in the Promised Land. Instead, they were taken captive by the Babylonians and returned to the land that God had called them out of. This is a harsh statement of rejection of the Israelite people. The one whom God had said, ‘I called you out of Egypt to be my chosen possession’ had been returned to the places of captivity. 

Citizenship, rejection. Freedom, captivity. These opposite poles of human existence that the Israelites could choose based on how obedient they were to God’s commands. Because they rejected God’s commands, he rejected them. The freedom they would have in submitting to God and setting boundaries on their freedom based on his law became captivity under other rulers due to their desire to do whatever they pleased.

We have the same promise and warning today. The same choice is set before us. We can choose for our citizenship – our place of belonging – to be in heaven (Phil. 3:20-21) or to be enemies of Christ (v. 18). Phil. 3:19 describes these enemies in the following way: “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame.” This statement could have been written for the people in Judah and Israel. And it could be written to those today who choose to do whatever is right in their eyes rather than follow God’s word. 

To be citizens of heaven, we must follow Paul’s example. I “press on to make it [the resurrection of the dead, aka the Kingdom Life we are promised] my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v. 12-14). Hold fast to God, and obey his commands! Choose to be a citizen of God’s Kingdom! 

~ Cayce Fletcher

Reflection Questions: 

  1. How does the place where you live affect who you are as a person?   
  2. How would a citizen of the Kingdom act differently than those of the world? Where do you find your citizenship?   
  3. There’s a glimmer of hope in 2 Kings 25:27-30. Jehoiachin is able to “put off his prison garments. Every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table.” How do you put off your prison garments of sin and dine at the table of the King in your everyday life?   

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A New Heart

Judgement, God’s Will, and Salvation

Ezekiel 25-36 in one day!

While we have been thinking about the importance and beauty of God’s word in Psalm 119, we have also been reading Ezekiel. I want to lead you on a speed run through Ezekiel 25-36. 

For the most part, Ezekiel is given a message of judgement against the nations. These nations are those who have harmed the people of God. Many of the Minor prophets got similar messages which could be summed up in modern words as, “You have hurt and abused God’s people, and he will give you justice.” The nations that are judged in these chapters are Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon and Egypt. He spends quite some time on both Tyre and Egypt, and even speaks to their kings directly. The praise he gives in his lamentations over these nations is rather grand. Read Ezekiel 28:11-19. God had blessed the King of Tyre, given him so much, and yet look how far he fell! I hope you can see why a number of people have thought that God started talking about Satan here; an angelic powerful force from the beginning of the world falls to the pit because of pride. I don’t think the text is specifically talking about Satan, but that the King of Tyre represents the satanic spirit and lives his life parallel to the Satanic fall. In these laments, I don’t think God is necessarily mocking their fall. I don’t think he wants to bring the evil back on their head (see 36:11), but the nations and their rulers acted pridefully and never sought the good of his people. God does not allow that to go unpunished. 

And so God sends in his man. So now we get to see the Israelite King or General or War Hero who vanquishes his foes and becomes King over the Kingdom…

Right?

No, God didn’t work that way. God instead says, “I will strengthen the arms of the King of Babylon and put my sword in his hands.” (30:24) God used Babylon. The same Babylon that would later take his people into captivity, the same Babylon that would later be used as the image of the proud nation, as the one who exiles the people of God. What is God doing using Babylon?! 

He’s doing what God always does; His will. 

God is smart enough, wise enough, powerful enough, good enough, loving enough, to take all the broken pieces and people in this world, with their free will and desires and urges and traumas and prejudices and hatreds and pains and hopes…

And God can use it for the good of his people

and the working of his plan. 

Babylon acted in freedom, maybe even sin, and God can take that and make it work for him. 

God can give true freedom to love him or reject him, to walk in righteousness or sin, and he can still work out his will in people. 

You have this freedom. In Ezekiel 33:10-16, God tells his people, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.” Are you living a life of wickedness, separated from God? I stand, like Ezekiel, as a watchman(33:7), begging you to see the truth. To turn from that sin and live! If you choose to believe in the God of this prophecy, the God of the Torah, the God of all Scripture, who gave us these words and the Word, made flesh in Jesus Christ, If you choose to follow him, then the promise from Ezekiel 36 will happen in you. “ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.” (25-28)

May you trust in the saving power of Jesus Christ. 

May you turn from sin and judgment. 

May you turn to righteousness, hope, and love. 

May you have YHWH, the one true God, be your God today. 

May you all be the people of God. 

-Jake Ballard

Jake Ballard is pastor at Timberland Bible Church. If you’d like to hear more from him, you can find Timberland on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TimberlandBibleChurch/ ) and on Instagram (https://instagram.com/timberlandbiblechurch?igshid=t52xoq9esc7e). The church streams the Worship Gathering every Sunday at 10:30. Besides studying and teaching God’s word, he is raising three beautiful children with the love of his life, loves Disney (especially the princess movies), and believes that Christmas music is acceptable from the first Sunday in Advent to January 6th. If you’d like to reach out to talk Bible, talk faith, or talk about your favorite Christmas Song (and why Mariah Carey sings it), look Jacob Ballard up on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jacob.ballard.336 ) or email him at jakea.ballard@yahoo.com. 
God bless you all!

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading plan passages at BibleGateway.com here – Ezekiel 35-36 and Psalm 120-122

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Freedom

2 Chronicles  7-8

Today we celebrate the many freedoms that we have in our country. We are so blessed to live in a country that allows us to worship God and so freely profess our belief in Christ. The scriptures explain that through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free. We are also free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8)

From the beginning, God has given human beings freedom in the form of free will. He allows us to choose. We can choose to follow Him and His Son or we can reject them because we want to go our own way. It is so clear to see this choice when it is placed before the people in the scriptures. Their own evil desires will result in sin and death or they can follow God as He leads them and others to life. Life that is described as abundant and everlasting.

Solomon had been making some great choices for God. He was honoring Him. God’s temple was being dedicated and Solomon was using his influence for good. As always when people draw near to God, He draws near to them. God assures them that He is there with fire from heaven and His glory filling the temple. The people praise the LORD by saying, “He is good; His love endures forever.” After this the LORD even appears to Solomon. God presents a choice that Solomon has to personally make. Solomon can walk before the LORD faithfully following everything that God commanded or reject God by doing his own thing.

Unfortunately, as Solomon’s life unfolds, he begins breaking the laws that he was given. One by one he breaks the few laws that he was asked to follow as the king. He continues following some of God’s laws while ignoring others. His heart was led astray, just as the LORD told him it would be.

Solomon had wealth, fame, power, and wisdom, but none of that mattered because he allowed people and things to replace his love for God. Let’s examine our own hearts today and freely give them completely to our God. We know that “He is good; His love endures forever.”

-Rebecca Dauksas

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Chronicles 7-8 and Romans 3

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Freedom

James 4

James 4 7

Have you ever read or watched a news feed of any kind and thought to yourself, “Wow, why is the world such a messed-up place?” Odds are you have had these thoughts or said this not just once but many, many times! Unfortunately; we live in a world that is covered in disgrace, selfishness, and unkindness. These things become evident as we look at the world around us and wonder at just how far some have fallen. When we ask how the world got this way it is not a new question and it does not require a new answer. It is an answer that James wrote about a long time ago on a continent far far away (sorry, back on target).

In James 4:1 he asks the question, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?” Why are you fighting all the time?!? When he wrote this it wasn’t in the time of instant communication that we have today. He couldn’t use snapchat, private messenger, or even email. Because it would take weeks or even months for responses to go back and forth, he asks the question and immediately supplies the answer. Isn’t it the pleasures that wage war in your members? Have you ever thought of your pleasures as waging war within yourself? If not just think how much you long for the latest and greatest, even when what you already have works just fine. Even more when you go to replace something that is broken.

My phone broke  about a month ago (completely stopped working) and I was faced with the question do I replace it with a new model, attempt to repair the old one, or get a refurbished replacement of the currently broken phone at a fraction of the cost of a newer model. There is a part of me that has always been fascinated with the newest electronics and the new features (after all – I want my phone to be the best, right?). As I was weighing my options I continued to see the latest models waging war against my budget. I reasoned with myself, “It will get updates longer if I get the newer phone, it will have better features.” The fact of the matter is my phone that had just died served me quite well for nearly three years, I know all of its settings and have cases, chargers, and screen protectors that I have already purchased sitting at home. I also get all of these benefits for a quarter to a third of the price. After attempting to have the old phone repaired I finally received the refurbed phone and am quite happy with my decision. All of that to say that I am quite familiar with my desires waging war within me.

He says you lust and envy and it leads you to strife and disagreements, even to murder. He then goes on to say that the only reason you don’t have is that you don’t ask. Jesus said if you seek you will find, we merely have to ask. In verse three we find that just because we ask does not mean we will instantly have the desires of our hearts. If I ask with self-serving motives I will not receive, but if I am needing wisdom to better serve God it will be granted. If I focus my desires and friendship on the world and its pleasures I show myself to be serving stuff, NOT God.

In verses 6 and 7 we find that God gives grace to the humble and we are to submit to Him and His desires because of His mercy and grace. James then says the devil will flee from us if we resist him. That is a magnificent piece of information if you have ever felt tempted to serve your own desires instead of God’s desires!

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Do NOT let yourself fall into the trappings of this world that say you can be a slave to the latest and greatest and still serve God, we can have but one master. Do not be double-minded, only serve the things of God. Philippians 2:3, 4 tell us to treat others as if they are a higher priority to us than ourselves, and verse 5 tells us to have the attitude that was in Christ. It is amazing how much this spirit can set us free from the struggles this world consistently brings about. After all, 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

James also warns us of the arrogance that comes from assuming we know what is going to happen. He reminds us that our lives are in the hands of God. What better place is there to rest?

Let’s rest in His hands and find the freedom that only He can provide!

-Bill Dunn

In Step with the Spirit

Galatians 5

Gal 5 7

Chapter 5 picks up right where 4 left off (if you haven’t already, you might just want to read the whole book straight through to get the most out of it – it’s only 6 chapters).

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. […] 7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?

From chapter 4, we know that the Galatians were struggling, falling back to their old ways. Paul is still trying to get to the heart of the why and how.  He wants them to quit trying to be justified by the law – because by doing do, they miss out on Christ’s promise and are once again bound into slavery.

Do you ever get bogged down by doing things exactly by the letter and then realize that you have been missing the point?  Paul is specifically talking to the Galatians about circumcision, but I think the same idea could apply to many things.  This reminds me of Jesus’ teachings about the Sabbath.  The Pharisees were so focused on making sure no work was done, that they wanted to condemn Jesus for healing someone.  Jesus pointed out that if a sheep fell into a hole on the Sabbath, they would pull it out – and how much more valuable is a person!  So Paul’s point is to quit being so focused on the letter of the law – he says in verse 5 “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

So rather than focusing on the law, focus on this:

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

It could be easy to say that if we are not bound by the law that we are free to do whatever we want, but I believe we are called to a standard higher than the law by this freedom.  If we look to Romans 6, Paul clarifies here that we are to offer ourselves to God as an instrument of righteousness and to not let sin reign.

This chapter finishes with the fruit of the Spirit.  You are probably familiar with these, but I usually think about these alone, not in the context of this book.  If we are children of God through Christ, then we have the Spirit to guide us rather than the law.  This list isn’t easy.  They are high standards of living.  I am going to leave you today with these verses as a reminder – let’s try to live in step with the Spirit.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

 

~Stephanie Fletcher

Paul Exercised His Privilege And So Can You

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Acts 25

In chapter 16, we found out that Paul was a Roman citizen. Being a citizen of this vast empire was a great privilege. There were only two ways to gain Roman citizenship; you could either purchase it (something only the rich could afford to do), or be lucky enough to inherit it from your parents when you were born. Paul was born a Roman citizen.
The reason why you would want to be a Roman citizen in the first century is that they were given rights others were not guaranteed. The rights to marry another Roman citizen, to sue and to be sued, to have a legal trial, and to not be crucified were just some of the benefits offered to those privileged enough be Roman citizens.
As we saw in chapter 21, Paul had already used his citizenship to get out of being flogged (Romans, legally, could not be tortured or whipped). In chapter 25 Paul exercised another of his rights–the right to appeal to Caesar. Paul knew that if he was brought back to Jerusalem, the men that had pledged to kill him would probably succeed. He also knew that he had to get to Rome to testify there. Thus Paul used his privilege to get to where he needed to go, so he could do what he was required to do (though, as we shall see in the coming chapters, this journey would not be an easy one).
If you were born in the West (especially the United States), you, like Paul, are privileged. You have rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. But there are many parts of the world today where these rights that are taken for granted are only the ideals of dreamers. There are Christians throughout the world who have to look over their shoulder as they travel to church (if a public place of worship is even allowed) and others who are worshiping with the knowledge that every gathering may easily be their last.
There is another privilege you share with Paul: you are a citizen of Heaven. This citizenship cannot be purchased or inherited. It is not exclusive. The Kingdom of Heaven (or, Kingdom of God) is open to anyone. The poor and the rich, the weak and the strong, the lost and the found are all welcome. The cost of this privilege was paid for by God with the blood of His Son. It is offered to any who will receive it.
Paul was first and foremost a citizen of Heaven. He lived his life devoted to advancing the Kingdom and the One who will establish it in its fullness. The rights his Roman citizenship granted him were nothing compared to those his Lord did. That being said, Paul exercised his privilege as a Roman in order to promote God’s Kingdom as a Christian. He wanted to make sure as many people as possible would become citizens of the Kingdom. You also can use your rights as a citizen of your country to further the cause of the Kingdom. Exercise your earthly privileges in a way that leads others to receive heavenly ones.
-Joel Fletcher

Don’t Look Back

Acts 13 38

Acts 13 

Isn’t that what this is all about? The best gift – freedom and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. People had been waiting for him for years and now they were finally preaching about it, sharing the good news. Could you imagine being alive back then and reading the stories from the prophets and then finally hearing about Jesus? People had been talking, speculating, doubting, waiting, and anticipating him for YEARS. It is such a confirmation to our faith, it would be impossible not to talk about it!

In Acts 13, Saul, who is now called Paul, is on a mission to proclaim the gospel and he is not looking back. It’s crazy to think about the person he was just a few chapters ago. He is a great example of how we should approach our own missions. We die to ourselves, find our identity in Christ, and don’t look back. We have a lot to proclaim and not a lot of time, so worrying about who we once were will only hinder us!

-Grace Rodgers