FREEDOM!

Galatians 5:1 (Complete Jewish Bible), What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery.

What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom—what does this mean? What kind of freedom is the Bible talking about? We know that depending where you live, who you are, what race you are, what gender you are, how much money you have, who your parents are, and how you look, may afford you certain freedoms that others do not have. The Bible couldn’t be referring to these types of freedoms because if the Messiah freed us, then it is available to all who believe in Him no matter what your social status or life circumstances. So what is this “freedom” we have been given?

Well, for starters, He has set us free in ways that life circumstances cannot take it away. We are free to forgive others even when they mistreat us, lie on us, steal from us and do unthinkable and heinous things to us. We are free from the opinions of others and we are free to walk in love when by most standards we should be crying for revenge.

In the many years of teaching Women’s Bible Study and studying the Word myself, I have found that we read scripture and say, “Amen,” but half the time we don’t understand or have a clue as to what we just read. We don’t think about scripture and meditate on it as the Bible instructs us to do. We like to push the “easy button” and let someone else tell us what scripture means. As God’s children, we are lazy when it comes to studying His “Book of Instruction”. Reading something and studying it are two completely different entities and I think that is where a lot of confusion comes for God’s people. I hear all the time how women make time in the morning to read their devotions (now this is a good thing), but often that is it for the day. Now that’s the bad part. You read a devotional but you did not study the Word of God. Time was not taken to dissect what you read, investigate and meditate on it. That is the difference between reading and studying. Even in school, if you read your assignment, but don’t really think about the meaning of what you are reading and how it pertains to the subject matter itself, you will not do well on any papers you must write or test you take. Why? You just read the content, but didn’t study what you were reading.

Sisters, I want you to spend time in the next two weeks thinking about what is this “Freedom” the Messiah has given you? How are you free and how does this “freedom” affect your life on a daily bases? What does it really mean, “the Messiah has freed us for Freedom?”

Sisters, II Timothy 2:15!



Be blessed,
Pat

I will return Friday, September 3rd, with more on "Freedom"! Hope to see you then.


Monday's Blog: Sharon will be back with more great "Financial Wisdom" for us"