SUMMER MEANS FREEDOM

This post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. Our theme for July is “Freedom.” I am posting every Wednesday in July on the freedom theme. Follow the links to the right to see what my Christian Writer friends have to say about freedom.

                                  

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No more pencils.

No more books.

No more teachers’ dirty looks.

 
School’s out. Summer is here. It’s time to be free!

Do you remember summer vacation as a kid? The chance to sleep in a bit later, waking, not to Mom’s “get up or you’ll be late;” but slowly to the need to push off the covers because the sun has taken over the bedroom and warmed it beyond comfort.

What to do today? Read? Play? Watch cartoons?

Or do the chores Mom and Dad laid out for you. Yes, but there was even freedom there. As long as they got done. And they were usually chores to do outdoors. Or if not, at least they were different; unstructured. There was freedom there. Even in chores.

It was a release from the “gottas.” A rest from the “pay attentions.” An escape from the bag lunch with the carrot sticks that got tossed out with the sandwich edges and zip lock baggies.

This was SUMMER!

For kids, summer is like Sabbath. Work six days, rest one. Sure, kids go to school nine months and rest three. Growing kids need more rest than adults, right?

 

Or maybe time goes faster for kids. It does from our adult perspective, doesn’t it? Didn’t your kids grow up when you blinked? Yet we’re all still the same as we were 20 years ago. In our mind’s eye.

It must seem like that to God, too. God is never changing; always the same; forever and ever. The 32 short years Jesus spent on earth must have gone by in a blink. And perhaps that’s what got Father God through it—knowing that the short time of pain for Jesus meant good things for the rest of eternity. And freedom for all of His children.

I wonder if Jesus thought of his return to heaven like children see summer vacation. “…no more dirty looks.” Freedom to return to his divinity; return to his Father; return to the Spirit. And wait for our return to Him.

Thank you, Jesus for being our true and good teacher. And thank you for not giving us dirty looks; but for looking on us with love and love only.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for seasons and for the change they bring to our lives. Thank you for times of work and times of rest. Thank you, Jesus for being our teacher and Holy Spirit for being our counselor and friend. Thank you, God for your plan and for the freedom we have in you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What was summer vacation like for you as a kid?

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

This post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. Our theme for July is “Freedom.” I am posting every Wednesday in July on this theme. Click on the links to the right to see what my friends have to say about freedom.

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Have you been to the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC? Like the other memorials in our capital—the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial—it is beautiful and moving.  

Unlike those other memorials, the Korean War Memorial has a personal feel to it. You can interact with the Korean War Memorial—walk among the statues of the soldiers, see their expressions etched in granite, touch the water flowing over the edge of the reflecting pool, and finger the carved words, “Freedom Is Not Free.” 

As Christians we talk about our freedom in Christ. We are free from the penalty of sin when we have asked and received forgiveness through Christ. 

We are free to live in and through Jesus every day; knowing that we are free from our pettiness when we rely on Him. 

We are free from compulsion and doubt by means of the counsel, guidance and help of the Holy Spirit, freely given to us. 

All these freedoms and more are ours when we claim Christ as our savior. 

But our freedom was bought. The price was the cross. Jesus paid it when he set aside his divinity and became human for our sake. He paid it by being away from his Father’s presence for 33 years. He paid it by being wrongly accused. He paid it by being humiliated. He paid it by suffering physical torture. He paid it by dying the most horrible death imaginable then or now.  

Nor was it free for Father God. The Father loved Jesus. He knew the sacrifice, the pain, the humiliation, the death that was in store for Jesus. Imagine how you feel watching your child suffer. How much worse knowing it was your plan. Our Heavenly Father paid the cost of the pain and let it happen just as He had ordained. The plan was perfect. The plan was good. But the plan came with a cost.

Our freedom wasn’t free to Jesus or to our Father. It is only free to us. Followed by the free gift of the Holy Spirit. Our salvation is a gift, freely given; but not freely accomplished.   

Freedom isn’t free.

PRAYER: Thank you for the cross, Jesus. Thank you for your plan, Father. Thank you for your presence, Holy Spirit. We acknowledge we are unworthy of these gifts and that although they are free to us, they were bought at a great price. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What other freedoms in Christ do you recognize in your life?

WOULD YOU LIKE ONE “S” OR TWO? THE FREEDOM TO DECIDE

This post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. Our theme for July is “Freedom.” I am posting every Wednesday in July on the freedom theme. Follow the links to the right to see what my Christian Writer friends have to say about freedom.

                            

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Do you remember all those fun rules you learned in grade school?

“I before e, except after c…”

“Thirty days hath September, April, June and November…”

“Any number times ten, put a zero at the end.” Oh, wait...I made that one up.

My favorite spelling rule was the desert/dessert rule: “Dessert has two s’s because you always want seconds on dessert.”

My mother seemed to have a keen understanding of that rule because when she was thinking about what to cook for dinner, she always planned dessert first.

The only good thing about deserts, on the other hand, are all the sandwiches there (…all the sand which is there). Alas, my sense of humor stopped developing at grade four. (Nonetheless, read Monday's post about the spiritual truths I've learned from sandwiches.)

That reminds me of Jesus.

Here Carol goes again…

Yes. Please come with me.

Let’s go back to Exodus. Remember the wandering Jews? No, not the plant. The Jews, led by Moses into the desert where they wandered for 40 years before reaching the land God promised them. If it hadn’t been for their and Moses’ disobedience, it would have been a quick hop across the Red Sea and straight through to the other side of the Jordan River and the Promised Land. But instead, the Jews whined.

I need water.

I’m hungry.

What’s this manna? I want meat.

Quail? I was hoping for a nice lamb chop.

How come we had to leave Egypt anyway?

Whine. Whine. Whine.

And then they started worshipping idols.

Ouch. Bad idea that.

Eventually, God must have figured they learned their lesson because He fulfilled His promise and delivered them to the Promised Land.

The Jews then left the desert and entered a land so wonderful it was described as a land “flowing with milk and honey.” Milk and honey? That sounds sort of like a milkshake, doesn’t it? Or the makings of ice cream. Or pudding. 

In other words, it sounds a lot like dessert.

The Jews spent 40 years in the desert until they could appreciate the dessert God had promised them.

God’s promises are delicious. They are the ultimate good ending to every bad story. And one of God’s promises, known to the ancient Jewish people, was that He would send a messiah—a redeemer who would bring salvation to His people.

God fulfilled that promise when He sent Jesus. The sweetest milk. The purest honey. The most delicious gift.

God planned Jesus’ gift to the world before the world began. Just like Mom plans dessert first. But even though Mom planned dessert first, we still had to eat our Brussels sprouts before we got it. We only got the good stuff after we finished the bad stuff.

Praise God, Christ came and brought us freedom to enjoy the good stuff while struggling through the bad.  

Jesus gives us freedom while in the desert to have dessert. Put in a child’s perspective, we get to have dessert along with the Brussels sprouts.  

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your plan and the promise of a messiah who would save us. Jesus, thank you for fulfilling that promise and guaranteeing our salvation. Holy Spirit, remind us of this sweet gift and show us ways to share it with others. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What is the most luscious dessert you’ve ever had? How is it like Jesus? No fair, saying “angel food cake”!

                                                             

ENDING A WEEK OF FREEDOM

Wrapping up our celebration in America this week of independence and freedom, meditate on Galatians 5:1:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

EVERY DAY IS INDEPENDENCE DAY

This post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. Our theme for July is “Freedom.” I am posting every Wednesday in July on the freedom theme. Follow the links to the right to see what my Christian Writer friends have to say about freedom.

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When I was a young adult, I did what most young adults do. I rebelled. (READ MY TESTIMONY ABOVE)

I didn’t know exactly what I should rebel against. The “establishment” surely, although I didn’t know precisely what the “establishment” was. I only knew I wouldn’t stand for being part of it.

Being raised as a pastor’s kid, I also knew I had no need for organized religion. Church was definitely part of the establishment. So when I got out on my own, I stopped attending church.

I could pray and believe on my own just fine, thanks. After all, I was independent. I was strong. And as a young woman, I knew everything about life.

You did, too, at that age, didn’t you?

Over the years, I understand more deeply just how little I really know. Even now. But it’s taken a while to get to that point.

One of the hardest things I had to get over when I finally did return to church was the idea of surrender.

Surrender to Christ’s will? Didn’t God make me to be a strong, intelligent woman? No way I’m gonna surrender my plans for my life to Jesus. Jesus can go ahead and save souls. God can go ahead and keep the planets spinning. The Holy Spirit can keep, uh, what does He do again? But I’ll take charge of my life, thanks.

<sigh>  

After years of bible study, reading, meditating, praying, listening to sermons, seeking God, and trusting Him, it finally sank in:  God is bigger than I am.

He’s also smarter, wiser, and able to see the big picture—His picture—and my place in it.

One day it simply clicked someplace in the middle of my heart. Surrender didn’t mean giving up. It meant giving over and trusting in the One who is trustworthy. It didn’t mean giving up my independence. It meant gaining independence because it meant finding freedom from the control and influence of the world. It meant freedom from having to do live on my own.

The day I began to surrender my life to Jesus became my Independence Day. I took hold of the freedom found in Christ. The freedom to be the woman He meant me to be. The freedom to live for Him. The freedom to praise Him and glorify Him with my life. The freedom to be for Him.

In America, we value freedom and we celebrate our political freedom every year on July fourth. It is good to have freedom. We can have that freedom in Christ when first we surrender. Every day can be Independence Day.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the free will you give us to decide freely to surrender to you. Thank you Jesus for the freedom we have from worry about sin and where we will spend eternity. Thank you Holy Spirit, for the freedom from doubt and lack of direction when we follow your guidance and listen to your counsel. Thank you God for the independence we have in you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Did you ever feel that surrender to Christ might mean an end to your own independence?

MEMORIAL DAY

Today is Memorial Day. For many Americans, it means a day off work. For kids it means a day off school and hints at the excitement to come when every day for the next three months will be a day off school. For others, Memorial Day signals the time to start planning vacations, family reunions, firing up the trusty air conditioner and gathering glass jars to store lightning bugs.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS—Past, Present, Future 

Officially, Memorial Day is a time to remember the men and women who have died protecting the borders, rights and freedom of Americans. It is a time to remember also those men and women who have not died in service, but who have sacrificed for us the freedom part of their lives—being away from family, finding courage amid fear, putting dreams on hold.

For our family, this year is a time to celebrate with our friend, Kedar Choksey. Kedar graduated this year from Sacramento State University, as a member of the Air Force ROTC program. This Saturday he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States’ Air force.

Today we thank the members of the military—past, present and future—and honor them all.

THE HEAVENLY BATTLE

We also remember Jesus. Jesus sacrificed His earthly life in order to preserve our freedom and—not our right; but God’s gift to us—to spend eternity with Him. In the heavenly battle between good and evil, Jesus is our Commander in Chief. The Book of Revelation shows us that he rides into battle ahead of the heavenly angel warriors.

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

(Revelation 19:13-14)

There is a good old Christian hymn, called "Onward, Christian Soldiers." It reminds us that we Christians are called to be soldiers for Christ—faithful, obedient and disciplined in our faith. As we live our faith, we are to march into the world, with the cross of Jesus before us, like a banner.

This Memorial Day, let us also remember the many Christians who have died for their faith. They have given us powerful examples to reinforce the foundational strength of what we believe. And we thank them for their sacrifice and their example.

MEMORIAL DAY IS EVERY DAY

Today we remember and honor the American men and women who died to ensure our political freedom in this country. And we remember and honor the American men and women who today and tomorrow are fighting to ensure our political freedom.

We also remember and honor Jesus who died to ensure our spiritual freedom and our place in heaven and who continues to work in our lives by the Holy Spirit, to free us to live for Him.

God himself never forgets us nor forsakes us. For God, every day is Memorial Day, because every day He remembers us. As it should be with us for Him.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for the lives of the men and women who protect our freedom. Be with their families; encourage and strengthen them. Thank you, Jesus for dying to protect our souls. Remind us of your love, Holy Spirit, so that we can be encouraged and can encourage others in their faith. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have a family member who has died in the service of our country? Or someone you know who is currently setting aside their personal plans for our sake? “Thank you” to them!