Under No Compulsion

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." -2 Corinthians 9:6-8
 
Have you ever heard an offering message and then felt guilty, so you gave? Unfortunately, this happens in many churches. I feel blessed to be a part of a church that talks strictly about not giving when you feel reluctant or obligated, but instead giving from a cheerful and abundant heart. The Bible speaks frankly about this in the verse in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.

But, does this just relate to finances?

Certainly, the scripture above has been used in many an offering message. But what about the rest of our lives? How are we to give of our time, and our talents? We have to work, yes. But does this verse apply here? I believe it does.

Whenever we feel like we have to do something, we are living under a yoke. Would this be God's yoke? Probably not. "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:30 So then work, or whatever we put our hands to, when viewed correctly means we take a step back and we do it to the best of our ability. Ultimately, we never have to do anything, although there may be consequences for our lack of action. But our work becomes blessed when we submit it to God. We develop an attitude of being joyful about whatever we're doing with our time and talents to glorify God. Our work becomes a gift we give to others. I know this won't happen to perfection every time, but it's definitely something to work toward. Making this a habit in our lives means we're not under any yoke but God's, and that makes our lives so much easier.

Are you living in freedom in whatever you do?

A Free Life

"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  -Galatians 5:13 & 14

What is true freedom?  Is it the ability to do what we want at any given time?  I don’t know about you, but if I did what I thought I wanted at any given time, I’d live a pretty lonely pitiful life!

Where do we find true freedom?  The Bible says we find true freedom by being a “bondservant” of Christ.  (Romans 1:1) What does this mean?  Isn’t this a contradiction?  But, it’s really true!  If we live by the laws of love in every area of our lives, we find true freedom, in every area of life.   If we’re always blessing people, we’re not bound by their thoughts of us.  If we’ve truly trusted God with our whole life, we’ll be free from stress.  If we really knew love, we would never struggle with addictive habits.  And if we’ve truly forgiven the people in our past, we're free from both regret and unforgiveness. As Mother Teresa said, if you’re always loving people, you don’t have time to judge them.  The law of love truly does bring freedom! 

“Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.” -Romans 13:8

God desires that we be free and unfettered in every area of life.  Is there anything holding you back?  Perhaps doubt, discouragement, disappointment, unforgiveness or bitterness toward someone or something?  Let God help you, and apply His laws of love.  It is only through His love that we can become truly free.

Getting Rid of Judgments

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” -Ephesians 4:1-3

As human beings, we are naturally wired to make assessments about things. We like to make up our minds about things or people; we like categorizing and putting things into boxes. "She sounds like Alanis Morissette," we may say, or, "He reminds me of 'so and so'."

But the problem arises when we make negative assessments (judgements) about people, institutions, churches, businesses, or whatever it may be. When our judgement becomes a protection mechanism, that's when we need to be careful.

There was one person very close to me in my life that I kept on judging. I didn't know I was doing it until someone revealed it to me. I was continually defensive as I expected them to respond a certain way, or do certain things. Even if my judgements were true, they were controlling me! My judgements turned into self-protective anger.

Sometimes it is good to make an assessment of a situation, to know if it is something or someone we should or should not be involved with. But when we judge people, places, or institutions, we bring this same judgement upon ourselves. God's word says it! “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” -Matthew 7:2 That's why we need to work hard to be gentle and forgiving, and to “keep the bond of peace.”  This doesn't mean just in our physical reality- it means in our hearts.

Is there anyone or any situation you need to let go of today? Our judgments can keep us in bondage. Let the Holy Spirit set you free today.