Freedom

The aroma of spring has flooded our town the past two days. I spent the majority of both days riding the motorcycle along the empty beach streets. I realize that this enjoyment will soon end as our town becomes flooded with the crowds of those seeking fun and sun as spring break begins, but for the past two days, the streets were mine. The wind in my face, music blaring through the speakers, the smell of salt air, and an abundance of sunshine....this moment symbolized one thing to me...FREEDOM.



Growing up in a time where people in christian circles like to put their own stamp on freedom and grace was somewhat difficult for me. Deep inside this being longed to express the magnitude of thoughts and ideas that swelled within but somehow and someway they were relegated to be fenced inside some "other's" ideas of what they thought was Christian freedom. One might wonder how does the question posed on how to "master my mind" end up in the arena where it stands to battle this thought on freedom and grace. I guess for me it started yesterday morning as I read through the book of Galatians...



Paul is writing a letter to the people of this town in southern Galatia, however it might has well been written to me. He was writing to dispute the teaching of the religious leaders who were teaching that the gentile believers must obey the Jewish law in order to find salvation. New believers were feeling pressure by those who were considered to be the spiritually mature, aka the Jewish Christians to follow what they considered to be the right way. These conflicting point of views made their way to Paul who in turn wrote this letter leading up to the Jerusalem council. There's a huge longing in my spirit right now to chase a different thought pattern, but I will save that journey for a later time...



Galatians 5 begins this way, "Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." I adore those words...Christ set me free....NOW MAKE SURE THAT YOU, DJ, STAY FREE! That thought makes me want to jump, flip, scream, cry.... However the perversion of that thought is where the trouble often arises. As I continued reading along in this particular chapter I found myself fascinated by verses 13-21. He writes these words, "For you have been called to live in freedom-not freedom to satisfy the sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. So I advise you to live according to your new life in the holy spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite from what the holy spirit wants. And the spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the holy spirit you are no longer subject to the law. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin."



Did you catch that? If not, read those verses again. If I understand what he is saying then I can come to this conclusion...following the evil desires that war within will lead to a messed up mind! The second sin that Paul says will come from following my own sinful nature is an impure thought life. SO where is this freedom found that Paul speaks of throughout this letter? Its found in following the Spirit of God. Most all of us know the verses that follow, "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law." Basically the old saying still stands true...Garbage in....Garbage out. True freedom produces results that will impact the lives of those around us...

Growing in Grace

I had the privilege of attending the church that my dad pastors yesterday. He preached a sermon entitled "How to Master your Mind." I must confess that the depths of the sin that travels in my own mind at times is harrowing. Filthy. Disgusting. Trash. Dad made a startling revelation yesterday as he ended his sermon with this fascinating statement..."if you want to win the battle of your mind then fill your mind with good things. If you are filling your mind with good things then there is no room for the bad." Pretty simple and makes alot of sense, but that's where the battle rages. How do I stay focused on just the good things when so many bad things fill our world?

I reopened a favorite book of mine this morning as I began my quiet time. It happens to be a book entitled "The Ragamuffin Gospel." I felt as though I needed to once again walk on a path that would lead to a renewed appreciation for the grace of God as I started focusing on winning the war of my own mind. Evelyn Underhill states, " Spiritual reading is, or at least can be, second only to prayer as a developer and support of the inner (spiritual) life."

As I contemplated that statement I realized that I really do enjoy reading, but I have allowed myself to become too busy with life. I realized that as my world has become more busy with things of life, my mind in essence has become more idle. Thus the old saying, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." (at least that's how i think it goes) I am the proud owner of numerous books, but sadly they are packed away in a storage building. My life has become so cluttered that I didn't have anywhere to keep them.

I guess now its time to do some rearranging and unpacking....