Freedom to Live in Christ

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With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I’ve been pondering life and counting my blessings a bit more than usual. Then, on the radio today, I heard the song, “No Matter What” by Ryan Stevenson. It tells a faith story that some believers have been tangled up in for years. It begins with this thought -

A lot of us grew up believing
At any moment we could lose it all
And at the drop of a hat
God might turn His back and move on
A lot of us feel like we blew it
Thinking that we're just too far gone

We have likely all felt that we've blown it from time to time. After all, we each have a unique life story and faith journey - with plenty of ups and downs. How we were raised and what we were taught impacted our lives tremendously too. No one’s story is better than anothers. Just different. But, for those who live daily with the fear that they might not measure up or that they are just one step away from being rejected by their Savior is heart-wrenching. To live in a constant state of striving to be good enough is exhausting. Thankfully, that isn’t the way it was meant to be! The song continues -

But I want you to know
There's still a hope for you now
No matter what you've done
You can't erase His love
Nothing can change it
You're not separated
No matter what…
So come as you are
Run to the cross and be free

Be free!

Now, that’s something I can count my blessings on this Thanksgiving!
  • Freedom from guilt, shame and fear.
  • Freedom to not be enslaved by evil or the power of sin (Satan).
  • Freedom to walk in God's will and power - and not within the framework of legalism.
  • Freedom to worship without fear, rituals and uncertainty.
  • Freedom to love and be loved unconditionally.
  • Freedom to hold securely to the One that loves and gave His life for me.
  • Freedom to have a personal relationship with my Savior – sweet communion.
  • Freedom to love others independent of receiving their love in return.
  • Freedom to live a life without fear of retribution.
  • Freedom from self-preservation and independence.
  • Freedom to become all that God created me to be.
  • Freedom to share the Gospel with the world.
  • Freedom to hope in an eternal future with our Savior.
In Christ, we have been set free!

Our salvation, and righteousness in God's sight, is not dependent on our behavior but only in the fact that we have made a choice to repent of our sin, accept the redeeming work of Christ for our lives and seek to follow Him with a submissive heart.
  • We are free to live in the power of the cross.
  • We are free to live in the will of God.
  • We are free to live through the promptings of the Spirit.
  • We are free to share the message of grace, hope and freedom to a world that is so hungry to find peace.
  • We are free to be - just me! No masks or strivings. Just who God created me to be!
As you count your blessings this week, take a moment or two to search your heart. Have you truly found freedom in your walk with Christ? Have you surrendered your will and independent striving into His trustworthy hands? Are you willing to accept that God's grace is big enough to hold you and sustain you as you learn to become more and more like Him?

 Hebrews 12:1-3 reminds us that Jesus is the source of our strength - and that we live today with an amazing legacy of the faithful cheering us on.

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Jesus doesn’t ask us to be perfect, just waiting to measure our successes and failures. Rather, He is cheering us on to victory too. Jesus has done the hard work for us. He wants us to live unhindered by the entanglements of sin – to live in grace and freedom with our eyes fixed on him!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It_xQ4NYtDQ


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