Dear SCC & Friends,
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
~2 Corinthians 3:17
Reflections #96
Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. ~Victor Frankl~ Liberty is a multi-faceted word which in a general sense means freedom from restraint. Spiritual liberty is a two-edged sword, as it simultaneously restrains and releases. It is absolutely clear that God has called us to a free life. Just make sure that we don’t misuse this freedom as an excuse to do whatever we want to do and destroy our freedom. Rather, use our freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom… ~Gal.5:13-14 MSG Martin Luther said it well, God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does. No matter what has happened or will happen, we are free to love, forgive, pray and serve.
If a thing is free to be good, it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. ~C.S. Lewis~ God’s restraint is only to constrain us from bad choices to protect us from our demise and ruin. This year has challenges awaiting, as well as unknown opportunities to glorify God. There is no law against the fruits of the Spirit which are eternally valid… love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. In essence we are free to exercise the love of Christ in any and every situation by and through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. ~1 Cor. 3:16. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty – Liberty to be comfortable in our own skin – Liberty to love and worship from the heart, and liberty to freely serve all our days! Keep up the good work!
Made for such a time,
Kevin