You may be familiar with the phrase: "if you are free in Jesus, you are free indeed!" Or perhaps other verses that share freedom's thoughts for the Christian. Let's look at this from the beginning when we were truly free. You know, the time before the fall. There were two freedoms present from the time Adam and Eve were pondering apples until today. The first freedom was one of freedom to do and be anything they wanted to be within the creation God put before them. The second freedom led them to freedom of choice. Both had consequences. One is now put before us through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The other is constantly banging at our door taunting us to exercise that freedom to enjoy the world. God wanted, wants and will continue to want our freedom and has taken great steps to protect our freedom. It was He who gave us freedom of choice. He gave us the ultimate choice between life and death. Eve and then Adam chose death. So, the need to be free from their sin loomed in the presence of man ever since. History is full of examples of mankind seeking their own freedom or own definition of freedom. Mankind's solution has never succeeded and never will because sin is self serving and our "self" chooses sin.
The trickle down effect is present in all of our lives. Jesus said "out of the heart comes what we put into ourselves." The trickle down of what we put in determines how enslaved or free we actually are. I'd like to say that I'm free in Christ. It's true. I'd like to say that I'm not enslaved to the world in any way. That's not true. Our sin keeps us from being able to understand that we perpetuate our own prison mentality. When we seriously look at our lives we admit we rationalize and justify a lot in order to enjoy our sin. Then we teach that to others and our children. Freedom becomes lost in the fray and we, as the Scripture says, are worse off than from when we first loved Jesus. The sin of mankind has trickled down within the Christian church and many pastors preach the world and enslavement than freedom in Christ. For those who keep the faith; the further they move through life the more on the outside they seem to those who don't. There is a tipping point where we come to a freedom choice. At that point do we give up or do we take a stand? That's where freedom and it's blessings are presented to all. What we choose determines whether or not we are free in Christ or not.
Settling for less has become so common that it's easier to see those choices as the best choices even if they are not. Buying a house? Don't settle for less. Raising your kids? Don't settle for less. Living for Jesus? Don't settle for less. Then teach others to not settle either. If we use "I can!" as much as we use "I can't!" our world and the lives of those around us would be different. Do we really believe that we "can do all things through Christ Jesus" or do we believe the world. Don't settle for less. I know and have known a lot of people throughout the years both before knowing Jesus and after knowing Jesus. The signs of those alive and free in Christ are so different! There is positivity, hope, faith, and joy. Not so for those who aren't alive in Christ though they call themselves Christian. The very life God gave them has been enslaved and people are miserable filling themselves with things that enslave instead of producing freedom. The Christian has the opportunity to live a life of freedom which entices others to wonder what makes us different. That opportunity is put before us daily and then minute by minute. We cannot change the world. We can change our world. It's always been and will always be our choice.
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