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I went to lunch with a friend yesterday -- such a treat! We got on the topic of God's will for our lives. Yes, heavy conversation for lunch. Today, I cherish the freedom of that lunch.
Here in the United States, we are free to discuss topics of faith (we didn't "talk religion," we shared our faith journeys). I know that such conversation is not permitted in my daughter's home country of China. I remember Easter Sunday there, many years ago, when I freely walked into an international church to worship my risen Savior while our chaperones, Chinese, could not. My U.S. passport was my ticket in. They didn't have one. Hundreds of others were there, from nations across the world. The joyous sound of Easter greetings in various accents, Jamaican, South African, Swedish, and more, was simply glorious.
Yet, I am certain that the lack of Chinese voices in that crowd must have broken God's heart. I could go on with this post to share the importance of international missions, but God showed me something else. More personal.
God doesn't just give us the freedom to worship Him because we live in the United States (or other free nations... right, my Aussie friends?). He gives us the freedom to worship Him because He is not a dictator God. He is a jealous God -- and it breaks His heart when we worship football, children, food, clothes or work more than Him -- but He never forces us to choose Him. Never. He waits. With infinite, Godly patience until we make that choice.
As I get older, I realize that I make two big decisions as a Christian. The first is salvation. You can read verses on salvation here if you aren't sure what I mean. The second, I think a lot of us miss this one, is what we do after we are saved.
It's our choice: accept the gift of salvation and move on with our regularly scheduled lives. The end. Some people do that -- they took the gift, maybe they got excited about it for a while, and then this life drew them back: football, kids, clothes and work. That gift sits on a shelf, unused.
At some point, though, some of us actually decide to apply the gift of salvation. We choose to grow up as Christians and seek God's will for our lives. We're not perfect -- only Jesus is perfect. But, God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit's guidance at our salvation. Appreciating that gift, we learn to listen to the Spirit. Our hearts yearn for others to receive the gift of forgiveness and freedom that we treasure in our hearts.
Through my life, I have made many, many mistakes. Sometimes, I ignore the Holy Spirit's prompting -- blatantly choosing to give in to my emotions and feelings. Sometimes, perhaps because I haven't learned to listen to the quietest whisper yet, I don't hear the Spirit call. I blunder into bad choices that lead me to ask God to rescue me. Sometimes, the devil gets to me, tempting me when I'm weak. Ohhhhh how I regret those decisions. Sometimes, I do actually get it right. I hear God's call and follow His will. In those moments, I am blessed because I chose Him. And freely He gave.
May God's Holy Spirit fill in the gaps in this post so that it touches your heart with His Incredible Love,
In Christ,
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11 comments:
Nicely said!
Thank goodness God is more patient than we are. Great post!
Freedom in Christ! Oh the depth of the topic. Thanks for stopping by the blog and for your encouragement! Nice place you have!! :)
Ahhh, Karen your posts always touch my heart. Words spoken with such wisdom. :)
Blessings friend,
~Rosann
Really enjoyed your post today. It has taken a few years but I finally understand that it is when we admit we are weak, and need God in our daily lives,that we gain real strength. Love your Blog!
http://simplyjunehaskell.blogspot.com/
Really great post today! Just what I needed to hear. :)
I enjoyed what you wrote. My late father would have loved to see this post. In his 70's he began to visit abroad as a missionary team to Russia and China. As young adults from China and Indonesia came to the US to study, he mentor and large #. He even taught 17 international students to drive. When the students faith was tested , they always called on"Grandpa" for support and to pray with them.
"Grandpa", my dad passed away in Oct. His international friends hopped on planes to say their final good byes. My Dad did understand the feeedom we have in this country. So, thank you for writing a post that touched my heart. Malika
Malika,
My dad started his missionary life in his 70's too. He mostly travels to the Gulf Coast to help families still recovering from Katrina. Last year he went to Mexico, and he traveled somewhere else (I forget where.) His trips are short-term, but he is able to offer his electrician skills to help the next generation learn a trade. I am quite proud of him and can't wait to hear how he touched lives once we all get to heaven. :)
I don't think we can ever really realize how fortunate we are to worship freely in the U.S. Thank you for this reminder.
Karen, what a beautiful post! He gives us freedom to worship Him. Oh how I pray I exercise my freedom!
I know. That's my prayer too!
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