[ Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character ] A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
Proverbs 31:10,27-28 NIV
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32 NIV
God’s Heart For Us Is To Be Free
Freedom is something we all want.
But what is freedom?
God’s heart for us is to be free. He gave us free will and desires relationship with us in freedom. He’s not looking for “religious robots.”
But here’s the thing… we’re all infected with a “virus” called sin which restricts our freedom.
We’re born with it as a consequence of Adam’s fall. When he used his free will to rebel against the authority of God it was as if he’d been “infected with sin.”
We’re easily imprisoned by sin. It brings destruction, broken relationships and eventually spiritual death. It’s symptoms are evident all around us.
We need to be delivered from our “virus.”
Jesus did just that. He took the consequences of our sin for us on himself… separation from God and spiritual death.
But death could not hold him. Three days later he rose from the dead. The spiritual consequences of sin had been defeated. My part is to sincerely repent and receive God’s forgiveness.
At the point of genuine repentance a miracle happens. The Lord changes our hearts. It’s called being “born again.”
We’re not “sin free”…show me a perfect Christian… there are none… but our the motivations of our hearts change and our lives begin to change.
By the grace of God, through faith in Christ we are restored to the original freedom of relationship that He first intended to have with him and those around us.
Psalm 146:7
Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
- Mark Saunders
Freedom And Obedience
Freedom and obedience
Posted by Mark Saunders on Saturday, 9 May 2020
Worship Him In Spirit And Truth
Our worship of God is not limited to what we write, say, or sing. We worship Him by every element of our conduct. The way we act and react says something about how much we fear, worship, and love God. When we don’t say or do or even think in line with God’s Word we are saying something about how little our desire to worship Him is.
When we are able to relate all circumstances and situations to Scripture we are saying something. When we have no time to read the Bible we are saying something. When we cannot enter into any conversation without mentioning the goodness and glory of God we are saying something. When we enter into ungodly conversations we are saying something. When we demonstrate deference and humble ourselves we are saying something. When we seek justice for ourselves we are saying something. When we sing praise and worship songs as our hearts swell with worship we are saying something. When we go through an entire day without giving thanks to God in prayer we are saying something.
This list could go on and on, but I trust the point is clear. If we live our lives for God only when in the presence of other believers or only in the sight of the godly and fail to ‘bring it back to God’ when in the presence of non-believers then we are not worshiping Him in spirit and truth. John 4:23
James 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
- Jonathan G Ettrick