Today's Scripture: Hebrew 11

If the Lord visited you as He did Solomon long ago and encouraged you to, "Ask what you wish Me to give you." (1Kings 3:5) What would you ask for?

I love my early morning walks with The Lord. Once I see my husband off to work, I'll change and head out the door just as the sun is promising to come on the horizon. It's still pretty dark; the stars and moon are still visible, and most are still sleeping. It's so very quiet except for the crickets and such; even the birds haven't come awake!

This is my favorite time of the day, for I get to witness the world around me waking up! 

I start each morning heading west down to the cove at the end of my street and when I make the turn to head east, He generally takes me breath away, for the sky is lit up like the poster above. His majesty is on full display most mornings, and though we've already been in deep conversations, I often find myself pausing for a moment or two and taking in the beauty of His creation.

There was one particular morning we started our walk by reflecting back to when The Lord had visited Solomon and encouraged him to ask Him for whatever he wished. It was then I began to wonder what I would ask The Lord for if given the same opportunity. 

I decided then that it wouldn't be wisdom. Though I'm always studying and looking for new revelations in His Word, I figured all the wisdom in the world didn't help Solomon much in the end. My next thought was love, God's love! That's it, but then I suppose along with that I would need mercy and compassion for all. And what about the rest of the fruits of the Spirits? Yes, I wanted to filled up with all!

BUT wait! Are we not already given all His character traits when we received Christ Jesus and the gift of eternal life with Him? Of course! 

2 Peter 1:3 tells us as much, "His divine power has given us ALL THINGS towards life and godliness, through the knowledge of the One having called us by His own glory and excellence." (Emphasis mine)

Paul in Ephesians also tells us that, "To Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that works WITHIN US" (Eph 3:20 Emphasis mine)

The Lord reminded once more that morning that He has already given me EVERYTHING I could ever want from Him when He gave me Himself, for His Spirit resides within each of us, and therefore we each possess the ability to love as He loves, forgive as He forgives and so on. What we need most of all is, faith. Notice,

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for." (Hebrews 11:1-2) 

These precious saints listed here in the "Hall of Faith" got it! They knew Who was large and in charge of their lives. Did you notice how often the writer begins with the words, "by faith" in Hebrews 11?

Remember what Jesus, Himself told us, " "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen." (Matthew 21:21)

What will God write about you in His book? Will you find yourself listed among the others in His Hall of Faith? Do you truly believe you can do ALL THINGS through Christ?

If so, then "let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us,  focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith." (Hb 13:1-2) until we all make it home to Abba.  

Blessings,
sue

“I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.” – Psalm 119:45

Hold on! Does it seem to you like the author has been sold a bill of goods here? How can anyone wrap up the words, “freedom” and “commandments” in the same sentence?  Isn’t it common knowledge that following the words of the Bible is enslaving, and freedom comes when we reject it’s commands to follow after our own ways and “what seems right in our own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25)?

Haven’t we all been told our whole lives that keeping the Law of LORD is hard, tiresome and no fun at all? Someone forgot to give this author the memo! BUT, before we dismiss his words completely, perhaps we should see what others had to say on the subject of freedom!

Jesus told those who believed in Him in John 8:31-32, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus went on to say, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”(8:36-38 emphasis mine). But of course, one could argue that this was Jesus speaking, the ultimate Author of God’s Word (2Tim 3:16) and therefore, of course He’d wanted us all to think this way.

James also said, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty (freedom) and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”- Jam 1:22-25 (emphasis mine once more)

And now Paul has something to say about this in his letter to the Galatians, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
 
Hmm…What if true bondage is being driven by our passions, which enslaves because of our sins? What if learning, understanding and following God’s Word is in fact, the light and easy yoke Jesus spoke of here?

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mat 11:28-30

Perhaps, we’ve been the ones sold a bill of goods. Because we have been freed from the penalty of death which comes to all law breakers, we can now link up to the light and easy yoke of Jesus, and learn at His feet, which is exactly the hope of this author of Psalm 119!

Paul knew it,

“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, 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.” Rom 8:1-4

This is a good place to insert a, Hallelujah!
 
I pray you will walk in complete freedom today, faithfully following after Him and His Word, and giving thanks always for all He has done to set you free!

Blessings,

sue