19-Nov-14

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.  II Corinthians 3:16-18Freedom.  My sixth grade students wrote what freedom meant to them.  No rules, doing what they pleased were among their thoughts.  Having all-day recess and eating what they pleased at lunch.  No rules.  When we discussed the outcomes of this type of freedom, they began to see that choosing how they wished to get an education would cut that education short.Freedom from sin that enslaves us can only be through Christ Jesus.  In Christ Jesus, we have boundaries.  Our boundaries are velvet-covered goodness and truth that brings us to the Gates of Heaven.  While the yoke of sin shackles our thoughts and our minds and bodies with the heaviness of shame, guilt and chaotic evil.Only by believing in Jesus Christ can we receive God’s promise of freedom — freedom from sin.  Freedom from sin is living in the presence of God.  The presence of God brings us hope and joy and peace.Lord God, please draw near to me and forgive my sins.  Wash me clean that I may know that glorious understanding of true freedom that is only in You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.  Galatians 3:21-22