Tag: freedom

Good News For Those In Need (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations…

“For I, the Lord, love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations. (New International Version)

This section of Isaiah’s prophecy looks forward to a better day. After centuries of downward spiraling into disobedience, the people found themselves on hard times.

In the prophet’s day, God’s people and their lives needed to be rebuilt, restored, and renewed; they needed salvation and deliverance; and the good news of healing, freedom, and comfort. 

The proclamation of the year of the Lord’s favor is a reference to the Old Testament command to practice the year of Jubilee. The Jubilee was to occur every fiftieth year of Israel’s existence in the Promised Land. For forty-nine years there were individuals and families that would incur debt; indenture themselves into servitude in order to survive; perhaps land in a debtor’s prison; and, work hard in the fields that they once owned. 

The Jubilee Year, by Yoram Raanan

These were, indeed, hard times. But after the forty-nine years, on the fiftieth year, the debts were erased; slaves were freed; fields allowed to rest; and, the land restored back to its original owners.

God’s deliverance is not only spiritual, but also very tangible and real. Salvation is not just otherworldly, merely looking forward to the end of the age; there’s also the anticipation of transformation here and now.

The recipients of good news are those who are in bad circumstances. God turns toward the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, those who mourn, and the faint of spirit. God really does have a special concern for the lowly and the weak. 

It’s significant to note that, Israel as a whole, found themselves in need – not because they were victims of adverse situations – but because they failed to obey the stipulations of their covenant with God. 

For example, we have no evidence that the Israelites actually even practiced the Jubilee. By the time fifty years came down the pike, after God gave them the Promised Land, they had slid so far down the spiritual drain that it was completely off their radar to practice a Jubilee. 

It seems no one had any intention of forgiving debts, freeing their indentured servants, giving back the land to original owners, and providing the land itself with a well-deserved Sabbath rest. 

To not practice the Jubilee was to rob people of their land and be unjust to them. Yet, God loves justice and hates robbery. God pays attention to those who are not getting their very real and tangible needs met. So, God speaks words of hope and deliverance for those in circumstances beyond their ability to cope with.

The first few verses of today’s Old Testament lesson are the words that Jesus turned to and read in the synagogue when he began his earthly ministry. Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of this promise to deliver and provide. He came to usher in a Jubilee celebration that would have no end.

It may be easy to overlook these verses, believing that they don’t pertain to us. Gentiles are under no obligation to practice a Jubilee. After all, many people are blessed, both material and spiritual. Furthermore, we can always identify persons who are in much more need than we are. 

And yet, it’s important to recognize that the maladies of our hearts are very real. There are specific conditions in our lives that leave us in bondage and in need of restoration, renewal, and revitalization, just like the Israelites of old. 

Therefore, we must not suppress those realities and those needs, but name the conditions which are packed away in a closet of our heart deep inside us, such as:

  • the love of things and money
  • severed relationships
  • old grudges
  • hidden addictions
  • domestic violence
  • denial of depression
  • secret affairs
  • fear and anxiety
  • anger and hatred
  • hoarding of resources and greed

Outward smiles and small talk conversations may hide the truth from others, but they do nothing to hide ourselves from a God for whom everything is laid bare.

The good news is not just for someone else who has “obvious” needs. The gospel must touch our lives and bring us freedom, so that we can pass on good news to the legion of social ills that make our world sick. 

There are people all around us who need spiritual and emotional, mental and material help. Yet we will not have eyes to see them, or hearts to help them, if we ourselves stuff our burdens so deep within that we are blind and unable to see others.

What’s more, on the other hand, we may too easily misread these verses in a manner it was never intended to be heard, as if we are more in need than we actually are: 

“The Lord’s Spirit of consumer choices is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the middle-class. He has sent me to bind up the half-hearted, to proclaim more options for the limited, and release from Black Friday for the buyers, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s Cyber-Monday.” 

We may not be so crass as to say this out loud, but we might tend to misinterpret Bible passages, so as to avoid our own great poverty of heart.

And when we become expert at stuffing our emotions and our needs, we then fail to see the year of Jubilee. We may believe that other people, “those people,” need Isaiah’s words. However, we are also in need of the year of Jubilee. 

The truth for many is that they are either one paycheck, one prodigal kid, one mental health diagnosis, one serious illness, one drink, one affair, or one bad decision away from being one of “those people” – the people we typically identify as in need – the ones that bad things happen to – the ones we do not want to live next door to us.

We may not yet be vulnerable enough to admit our situation; and so, we keep practicing the denial of our spiritual poverty. Everyone is brokenhearted about something or someone, such as:

  • a wayward son or daughter
  • an unfulfilled dream
  • a lost relationship
  • a difficult illness or health diagnosis
  • a crisis situation

In addition, everybody is in bondage to something we would rather not admit; everyone needs renewal and restoration. 

What should we do? Where are we to turn?

Let’s turn from the things that have caused us to be in poverty and in prison, and delight in the Lord our God. Rejoice in the Lord.

God will make a sprout come up, and cause it to grow. 

God will rebuild our ruined souls. 

God will restore the places of our lives that have been devastated. 

God will even renew the places that have not seen renewal for generations. 

It begins with you and me allowing the justice of God to work within us, and not only for other people.

God cannot bring comfort to those who do not mourn; the Lord cannot turn grief into joy if there is no acknowledgment of a dire situation. To be an oak of righteousness, there must be a confession of despair and an allowance of the justice of God through Jesus Christ to work its way completely through us.

Let the Lord replace a head of grief with a crown of beauty. Let God place a garment of praise to replace the stinky clothes of grumbling. And, in this season of Advent, herald the coming of the Christ child as the hope of us all, to the glory of God. Amen.

A Real Change of Life (Matthew 12:43-45)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.” (New Living Translation)

Nature abhors a vacuum. A tilled plot of soil will be overtaken with weeds if nothing is planted and nurtured in the turned-over dirt. 

The pecking order of a brood of chickens cannot handle the death of the top hen without filling the position almost immediately. 

In the spiritual realm, the exorcising of a demon will not simply leave a person empty of evil – their life will be filled with something in its place.

Jesus told a story about a man who was delivered from an unclean (evil) spirit. It’s a powerful and simple narrative on the necessity of true repentance, that is, on what a real change of life is like. 

Genuine freedom is more than getting rid of something bad and destructive; the evil must be replaced with something good and useful. In other words, biblical repentance, a true transformation of a person, is both a turning away from ungodliness and an embrace of righteousness.

We are delivered from evil so that we can start living into right and peaceful relationships, as God intends for us.

For example, the Apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian believers to not only stop stealing but also to get a job and start sharing with others. They were not only to stop lying and using their tongues for gossip and slander and start using their words to speak truth that builds up others. (Ephesians 4:25-32)

The spiritual principle is the same as the nature principle: A empty vacuum will always be filled. The man who did not fill his life with God ended up having a problem with evil seven times greater than when he started. If anything, or anyone, is emptied of its unhealthy elements and practices, it is imperative that the hole be immediately filled with healthy disciplines for life.

Whether dealing with addictions, bad habits, or any kind of evil influence, a two-pronged approach is needed for its eradication. We expel the evil by replacing it with godliness. 

For example, the man struggling with pornography or adultery must not only stop the behavior but take up the mantle of being a champion for women’s issues; or the woman who has no healthy boundaries and allows herself to be used and abused must not only separate from the problem or person but adopt her identity in Christ as a precious child of God and enforce righteous limitations. 

These examples are not meant to be simplistic answers to complex situations. Rather, they illustrate why so many people do not experience freedom and continue to have even greater enslavement to their passions and sufferings. Freedom is realized through replacing old practices with new disciplines that directly attack the old.

We all have needs. How we get those needs met is often a mixed bag of both legitimate and illegitimate ways. In a perfect world, everyone would be aware of their needs and be able to express them to one another without shame, anxiety, or anger. Since we live on a blemished fallen planet, we end up trying to meet our needs indirectly through hustling for love, hoarding resources, and controlling others – all harmful ways which destroys souls and relationships.

In order to focus on meeting our needs in a wise and healthy manner, we must take a step beyond ending a toxic relationship, cutting up a credit card, or saying “no” to another responsibility. We often get into our mess to begin with because we are out of touch with ourselves and our needs. We need affection and encouragement, and there is no shame in needing this. We need security and safety, and there is no problem in acquiring this. There are some things we need to control, and that is okay.

If we fail to address our needs, we might do the necessary work of deliverance, then turn right around and become worse off than before by filling the empty place of our lives with:

  • Being all things to all people, as if we were the Messiah.
  • Being successful so that we stay ahead of being needy.
  • Pulling inside ourselves and trusting nobody.
  • Distancing from our needs and pretending they are not there.
  • Being continually vigilant so that we are never hurt that way again.
  • Keeping a positive spin on everything, as if there is no negative stuff in the world.
  • Challenging other’s opinions and behaviors to keep the focus off our needs.
  • Becoming a wallflower so that we can never be the brunt of someone else’s vitriol or evil.

Instead, we can let Jesus fill the emptiness with love, purpose, peace, joy, attention, and grace. Christ is the Savior who delivers us from evil, and the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier who carefully applies the work of salvation to our lives. When our hearts and minds are full of God, there is no place for the demons to get in.

True change and transformation equally forsakes evil and embraces righteousness; replaces the unhealthy with the healthy; jettisons the illegitimate and seeks the legitimate; and puts away unnecessary suffering and pursues peace and joy in the Spirit.

O God, I no longer want to live with saying I’m sorry and going right back to the old pig slop of sin. I cannot change on my own. I need Jesus to both take away the sin and give me a new life of living for him. Help me to make choices that put to death the old way of life, and the courage to live into my forgiveness in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Use Your Freedom For Good (Exodus 33:1-6)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must leave this place. Go to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send a Messenger ahead of you, and I will force out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go to that land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not be with you, because you are impossible to deal with, and I would destroy you on the way.”

When the people heard this bad news, they acted as if someone had died. No one wore any jewelry. The Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are impossible to deal with. If I were with you, I might destroy you at any time. Now take off your jewelry, and I’ll decide what to do with you.’” After they left Mount Horeb, the Israelites no longer wore their jewelry. (God’s Word Translation)

It took little time for the covenant between God and the Israelites to be violated. The relationship between the Lord and the people was meant to be cemented through a special covenant in which Yahweh makes promises to them and gives them instructions and commandments; and the Israelites pledge their fealty and promise to obey.

But the people quickly reneged on the relationship. While Moses was up on Mount Sinai, receiving the Law from God, the Israelite grumbles and complaints came to full flower. They went their own way and made a calf idol out of gold.

So, the Lord’s judgment broke out amongst them. The Levites, to their credit, rallied around Moses and the Lord, and took out the rabble rousers in the camp. What’s more, God sent a plague that killed many.

In the aftermath of the rebellion against Moses and the Lord, God ordered the people to leave Mount Sinai – the place where everyone was to have a positive experience of Yahweh’s presence. God’s anger and wrath were so aroused that it became impossible for the divine presence to go with the people. Only Moses, as God’s emissary, would be able to guide the Israelites so that they are not completely eradicated.

Mount Sinai, by Sefira Lightstone

Yet, even after all the bad attitudes, rebellious actions, and an idolatrous spirit among the Israelites, Yahweh will still keep the divine promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to deliver them and bring them to the Promised Land.

Today’s story has the feel of a chastened child sitting in the corner, having to think about what they just did to raise the ire of the parent. The Israelites moved from Sinai in a somber mood, realizing more clearly than ever how much their lives are tied and linked to God’s divine presence.

At God’s command, the people removed their jewelry and took off their party clothes from the celebration that got them into so much trouble. It began to sink in, that the Lord departed from them because of their great sin. They started to realize, albeit too late, that they really screwed up their relationship with God.

The Israelites didn’t know how good they had it with the divine pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to lead them – and how much they actually depended on the God-given manna for their sustenance and existence.

It’s all too typical for us humans that we fail to realize what we have, until it’s gone. The ancient Israelites were freed from a cruel slavery in Egypt. They clearly did not handle their freedom well, at all. Perhaps the people were so used to being in bondage that, when they go their freedom, they just adopted a different sort of slavery – to their sinful passions.

Let’s handle our freedom with some responsibility and accountability, so that we do not go down the same rebellious path as the ancient people of God. You and I are free to choose what we do, what we think, and how we spend our time. It’s easy to blame outside forces when circumstances are hard; and to grumble whenever we don’t like something.

Freedom is a spiritual discipline; we must learn how to intentionally practice it and use it for good. The following are four areas to purposefully work on with our freedom by making good choices:

Words

Choose your words carefully. What comes out of your own mouth is up to you. Let those words reflect who you truly are; and let your speech impact others around you for good, and not evil.

Attitudes

Choose your attitude with some self-awareness. With awareness comes choices. For example, if we are not aware of our own anger, it will eventually come out sideways on another person. Our sullen attitude and jaded perspective will color our relational interactions. But if we are aware of our emotions, we can choose to effectively work through them, and then decide what sort of attitude we’re going to have.

Actions

Choose your actions before you do them. Seemingly insignificant choices turn into small actions. The small actions become habits. And habits shape character and create a life. We make choices every day about what we’ll do and not do. In every sort of situation we have choices to act, such as: Will I let go, or will I try and control others? Will I walk, or drive? Will I spend, or save? Shall I prepare, or procrastinate? Be fit, or be fat? Talk or listen?… and a thousand other choices of action.

Beliefs

Choose your beliefs with care. Our beliefs and our faith determines how we act and behave. If we believe in a good God who has our best interests at heart, we will freely trust such a God. But if we believe God to be a capricious Being who is aloof from my concerns, then we will make choices to watch out for number one and view others with suspect.

If you are behaving in ways that aren’t working for you, examine what belief is causing that behavior. Then decide whether that’s a belief you really need to have, or not, then change it, if necessary.

Every choice we make, contributes to the person we want to become, and sets us on the path to where we want to be in life. Maybe if the ancient Israelites had more awareness of this, they might have chosen very differently.

Gracious God, grant me clarity and awareness to make wise decisions. Enlighten my heart and mind, as I seek to follow your divine guidance. In the face of uncertainty, give me the courage to trust your promises. Help me embrace the path set before me, with a spirit of love and grace. Amen.

Life in the Spirit (Romans 8:1-11)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh [sinful nature] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (New International Version)

I feel tremendously privileged to be a Christian and to enjoy the very Spirit of God. The people of God are spiritual people, possessing God’s own Spirit. The Apostle Paul wanted Christians to know the privileges of life in the Spirit, as believers in Jesus.

No Condemnation

There is now no condemnation, no judgment, for us who are in Christ. God has pronounced a verdict, and that decision is final. We have been united to Christ by means of God’s Spirit. Since God condemns neither you nor I, there is no need whatsoever to condemn ourselves or other believers.

Since no condemnation is our reality as Christians, we are to believe this promise of God and swim in its wonderful privilege. Believe that the sin issue has been taken care of once for all through the life and death of Christ. And if you do not feel forgiven, then put yourself in a position to believe. 

It would be silly to go into the bathroom, turn on the shower, and then just stand in the middle of the bathroom without getting under the showerhead. It would be weird because you did not put yourself in a position to actually become clean. You may believe that a shower and using soap and shampoo will make you clean, but if you do not actually avail yourself of the privilege of actually taking the shower, but just stand there and look at it, you will not really be clean. 

We must put ourselves in a position to experience the privilege of knowing our wonderful state of cleanliness (no condemnation) by actually reading the Word of God on a regular basis; by praying in the Spirit on all occasions; by practicing the silence and solitude and other spiritual disciplines necessary to receive the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit.

Two people are declared “married” in a formal wedding ceremony. The couple then works out their shared union together over a lifetime. The minister does not pronounce condemnation at the ceremony; he declares a blessing. Yet, from that point forward, the two people must work on their marriage. They must believe their relationship is important enough to warrant putting themselves in a position to grow together. They will intentionally create date nights and conversations on the couch. They’ll seek to learn, appreciate, and participate in the other person’s interests and life. 

“Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins alone.”

Dallas Willard, The Great Omission

Just as we do not marry ourselves and pronounce ourselves a married couple, so we do not save ourselves. However, having a marriage license does not mean there is no effort to be done in the relationship. A marriage is both a legal reality, and a kind of mystical union between two married persons.

It’s a beautiful thing to be in a relationship where there is no condemnation. Because of Jesus Christ we are free to be the people God created us to be – forgiven and no longer burdened by the condemning voices of guilt and shame.

Freedom from Sin and Death

In Holy Scripture, sin is not only a personal struggle but a present ubiquitous reality in the world. The power and presence of sin is found everywhere. There is personal sin, institutional sin, and systemic sin. Because sin is everywhere, death is everywhere. Biblically, death refers to more than physical death because it is also a relational term. Death means relational separation from God. Conversely, life is relational connection with God. 

God did all the action necessary to make the union possible. God sent the Son. God became incarnate. God’s Son became a sin-offering, an atoning sacrifice for our sins. God condemned sin in sinful humanity. God met the righteous requirements of the law. God effects holiness in us by means of the Spirit. 

Rather than saving us from this terrible plight of sin, and then simply telling us to live a holy upright life, God the Father and God the Son sent God the Holy Spirit to indwell us so that we can live like Jesus. Therefore, we must put ourselves in a position to experience life through dwelling in the Scriptures and letting the Spirit and the Word work together to effect practical change in our lives (sanctification, that is, becoming holy). 

Having the Mind of Christ

A problem we all face is that we inhabit a fallen world. Our mindset can easily get screwy. If we want life and peace, we need the mind of Christ and the Spirit. Whatever our minds are occupied with is what determines whether we will have life and peace, or not. 

If the objects of our thoughts, interests, and affections are continually away from Christ and the Spirit, we will experience death, not life. If we put ourselves in a position to indulge the sinful nature (the “flesh”) we will miss real life. An undisciplined mind only leads to relational separation.

The addict knows there are two choices: either life or death. The first of the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is to admit that I am powerless over alcohol and that my life has become unmanageable.  The second step is to believe that a Power greater than myself can restore me to sanity. The third step is to turn my life and my will over to that Power. So, it is the same for us. 

We are powerless over sin, which will, if left unchecked, lead to death. But in the Spirit (not the alcoholic spirits!) we have life. Sin, like alcohol, is a daily possibility, even after giving my life and my will to God. Yet, there is also the possibility of life. And that hope of life comes with possessing the mind of Christ and the Spirit. 

We have hope that through the Spirit’s power we will overcome the power of choices that lead to death; and instead, embrace choices that lead to life. So, whatever we put into our minds is vitally important. 

The Spirit Indwelling Us

The Spirit is the distinguishing mark of the believer in Jesus. The Spirit opposes the sinful nature and expects us to do the same. There’s no need to try and live the Christian life on our own power when we possess spiritual power. There exists an internal struggle within us that desires to do right but has a compulsion to do otherwise. Yet, the indwelling Spirit gives us victory. Jesus lived the life for us that we could not live. His life, as much as his death, achieved salvation from sin for us. The very same Spirit that helped Jesus live his life, and raised him from death, is the same Spirit whom we possess.

When I was a kid, I remember my grandmother canning preserves. I would sit on a stool in the kitchen and watch her, looking forward to having some grape preserves on my next piece of toast. I once asked her, “Why are you always melting that wax over the fruit?” I didn’t understand how wax could make my toast taste any better. Grandma answered, “The wax seals the jar tightly so the fruit can’t be contaminated. If I didn’t seal it, the fruit would eventually rot.” As an amateur in the canning business, I could see the importance of picking grapes, boiling them, and canning them. But I now know how important sealing and preserving are.

You and I are God’s preserves. God not only chose us, redeemed us, and called us to life in the Son – God also had a plan for preserving us as heirs of eternal life. God gave us the indwelling Spirit so that we can live as we ought, free from sin and doing the will of God through spiritual power working within us. 

I hope today that you have a deep appreciation for the privileges of no condemnation, freedom from sin, possessing the mind of Christ and the power of the indwelling Spirit. And more than that, that you will avail yourselves of this tremendous gift of the Spirit and experience life and peace.

Gracious God, fill us with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. May we live lives worthy of the Lord Jesus and please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power according to your glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to you. For you have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and have brought us into the kingdom of the Son you love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Amen.