Alesaggio
01-06-2004, 12:41 AM
"Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
"Whosoever the Son sets free is free indeed!"
Opposed to what some may believe God’s laws (His Word) and standards bring freedom not bondage. For Instance, an Olympic ice skater practices long hours learning the fundamentals and rules of skating. Every day he/she learns to skate by the rules with more precision. Weeks, months and years are spent learning techniques. There is boring routine as the techniques are practiced over and over and over again. But the more he/she dedicates himself/herself to the fundamental rules of skating, the more freedom he/she has to skate with beauty and poise. There is joy and grace in his/her art and he/she is blessed by the talent he/she has developed. Musicians discover the same principle. The more attention a musician pays to the rules of music the more freedom they experience and the more joy they find in their music.
The standards and lifestyle of God were not meant to take the joy out of life, they were meant to put joy into life. The closer we live to God and the more we follow His laws the more blessing we find in life. God’s laws do not limit us, they empower us and give us freedom. When we ignore them we find we are in bondage. The deliverance of Israel from Egypt was symbolic of their deliverance from the bondage of sin. Sin enslaves us. The world gives the false promise of freedom, but the Bible sees through that lie when it says, “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity — for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Peter 2:19). It is not a coincidence that this culture, which is intent on discarding the standards and holiness lifestyles of God, is also one of the most addicted groups of people in the history of the world. God’s laws are a blessing because they allow us to live life with dignity, honor, joy and freedom.
The only difference between a river and a swamp is that one has boundaries and the other does not. One runs confined by its banks, the other stagnates without anything to guide it. The one has direction, the other does not. One is a blessing to its surroundings and the other is a nuisance. The banks of the river are not restrictions, they are what give the river freedom and make it a blessing.
A victim of poor eyesight could testify thusly; “I was condemned to live under a law — the law of near-sightedness. I am not free. I am in bondage to this law. There is no escape. But one day I discovered an even greater law that can overcome the law of near-sightedness. It is called the law of corrective lenses. When I submitted myself to the law of corrective lenses, the law of near-sightedness was overcome. Did it go away? No, it is still there. But it was overpowered by a greater law, which enabled me to see. Now here is the ironic thing: You would think if I want to be free, I’d throw the glasses away. But that is not freedom. Only by submitting to the law of glasses do I become free.” His glasses are a blessing because they give him the freedom to see. Before, his vision was distorted. When a person realizes they need the standards of God in order to see life clearly, they are not restricted by the holiness lifestyle of God, they are given the freedom to truly live free, and life becomes a blessing—I came to give you life, and life more abundantly.
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
"Whosoever the Son sets free is free indeed!"
Opposed to what some may believe God’s laws (His Word) and standards bring freedom not bondage. For Instance, an Olympic ice skater practices long hours learning the fundamentals and rules of skating. Every day he/she learns to skate by the rules with more precision. Weeks, months and years are spent learning techniques. There is boring routine as the techniques are practiced over and over and over again. But the more he/she dedicates himself/herself to the fundamental rules of skating, the more freedom he/she has to skate with beauty and poise. There is joy and grace in his/her art and he/she is blessed by the talent he/she has developed. Musicians discover the same principle. The more attention a musician pays to the rules of music the more freedom they experience and the more joy they find in their music.
The standards and lifestyle of God were not meant to take the joy out of life, they were meant to put joy into life. The closer we live to God and the more we follow His laws the more blessing we find in life. God’s laws do not limit us, they empower us and give us freedom. When we ignore them we find we are in bondage. The deliverance of Israel from Egypt was symbolic of their deliverance from the bondage of sin. Sin enslaves us. The world gives the false promise of freedom, but the Bible sees through that lie when it says, “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity — for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Peter 2:19). It is not a coincidence that this culture, which is intent on discarding the standards and holiness lifestyles of God, is also one of the most addicted groups of people in the history of the world. God’s laws are a blessing because they allow us to live life with dignity, honor, joy and freedom.
The only difference between a river and a swamp is that one has boundaries and the other does not. One runs confined by its banks, the other stagnates without anything to guide it. The one has direction, the other does not. One is a blessing to its surroundings and the other is a nuisance. The banks of the river are not restrictions, they are what give the river freedom and make it a blessing.
A victim of poor eyesight could testify thusly; “I was condemned to live under a law — the law of near-sightedness. I am not free. I am in bondage to this law. There is no escape. But one day I discovered an even greater law that can overcome the law of near-sightedness. It is called the law of corrective lenses. When I submitted myself to the law of corrective lenses, the law of near-sightedness was overcome. Did it go away? No, it is still there. But it was overpowered by a greater law, which enabled me to see. Now here is the ironic thing: You would think if I want to be free, I’d throw the glasses away. But that is not freedom. Only by submitting to the law of glasses do I become free.” His glasses are a blessing because they give him the freedom to see. Before, his vision was distorted. When a person realizes they need the standards of God in order to see life clearly, they are not restricted by the holiness lifestyle of God, they are given the freedom to truly live free, and life becomes a blessing—I came to give you life, and life more abundantly.