05 Jul What does FREEDOM mean?
What does FREEDOM mean to you personally? The thesaurus can give us synonyms for this word such as liberty, self determination, independence, freewill, lack of restrictions or sovereignty.
For me “liberty” as written in the word of God is the truth I choose to live by:
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” NIV
The word “self determination” can be additionally explained as self-rule, self-government, independence, and free will. Our destiny has so much to do with making the right choices. God has made us free and we need to appropriate that freedom into every decision made in our lives..
On July 4th, we celebrated our “independence” in this nation. But, as you know, independence can have a negative aspect to it as well. I believe we can be so independent in our mentality or actions that we need no one. “I can do it myself”, “I don’t need anyone to help me”, “I don’t want to take the time to reach out for help” can become our belief systems and bring loneliness and dissatisfaction in life.
We are free and have “free will” but how do we really live among others? What is the motivation of our heart? Could it mean: My way – not yours, right vs. wrong, law vs. grace for the sake of “free will”? It’s important for us to check our hearts when it comes to freedom.
“Lack of restrictions” means we have no boundaries, no limits because our God is a limitless God. But at the same time, we have certain boundaries and authority we need to honor in our workplaces, marriages, and relationships.
I love the word “sovereignty”. I had to understand that without the sovereign love of the Father, I would have no “real” freedom and no hope. I tried living in the world with “worldly” freedom but I would always feel as if I was living in a dark hole. No lasting freedom was mine.
I am eternally grateful for God’s love for me and I desire to know Him more and walk in the freedom Jesus died for. What about you? What do you struggle with regarding your knowledge of freedom?
rena
Posted at 18:24h, 07 JulyHmmmmm – freedom. Ironically, I just posted on my blog about a sort of freedom that comes from accepting something that you can’t do anything about and then committing to acting in a loving way anyway. And you touch on that as well, in that true freedom comes when we trust and rest in God and let Him have His way in the areas that we can do little about.
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