Freedom

This will be a two part blog entry cause I have been thinking and praying about this all day and am maybe halfway done. So, here is part one.

So a conversation with a friend sparked a question in me: What is true freedom?

The dictionary defines it as "the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint."

In our country we pride ourselves on being free. We have freedom of speach, freedom of press, freedom of religion... But these are used to do whatever we want. To slaughter our unborn children, to live promiscuous lives, to persue the ungodly desires of our flawed hearts. To what end? We are handed earthly freedom only to choose the very things that spiritually enslave us, oh the irony. The bible puts it:

"They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you." (2 Peter 2:19)

It is so interesting to me that God asks us to surrender our earthly freedom and become his slave in order to gain a far greater spiritual freedom. I love how the NLT phrases Mathew 10:39

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it;
but if you give it up for me, you will find it."

I've always quoted that as if it is figurative idea, but its not. The implications are astounding to me. In giving up the right to earthly freedom you might very well be giving up yor physical freedom. A few scriptures back in Mathew 10:17-18 it says:

"But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues.
And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me-yes, to witness to the world."

It's interesting to me that your physical freedom, your earthly freedom, may be taken at any moment on the whim of a governing authority. While God instituted freedom cannot be taken by anyone.