Freedom in Christ

     

        Have you ever had one of those weeks,weekends, days, etc where it feels like God is pounding something into you? The same lesson comes up at church in the sermon, in your quiet times, in conversations... Definitely happened to me this last week (and weekend.)
          Every year (and this happens at other times as well) during the time surround the 4th of July, I am always reminded to be thankful for the freedom I have to choose to worship God (because others around the world do not have that freedom) and to be thankful for the men and women who fight (or have fought ) for that freedom I have. This year, however, the Lord brought it a little closer to home and asked me "What am I doing with that freedom?" This weekend I got to go visit my friend in her hometown. (side note: I enjoyed that time!! We swam, ate together, went to the park with her kids, and got to do some catching up.)  At her church this morning the sermon was on the freedom of Christ according to the apostle Paul. One thing that really resonated with me was: How am I using my freedom in Christ to glorify God? I am free to worship, share the Gospel with others, go to church...the list goes on. During my quiet time before church this morning I was reflecting on the same concept...is what I'm doing with my time/energy/possessions glorifying Christ? During my driving time this weekend, the Lord kept bringing that to mind as well. He kept asking me am I doing everything I can to glorify Him in every part of my life or am I holding back in any areas?
   Another thing the Lord taught me on Saturday during my quiet time on Saturday was that He is in control & I need to just walk by faith. There are several areas of my life that I layed at Jesus' feet on Saturday and He remind of me the verse in Psalms that says "Be still and know that I am God." I need to just recognize that He is God and has everything under control.
This ties together in that in areas of my life that I struggle with, I can glorify Christ by recognizing His control over everything and I can use those things to glorify Him by sharing with others what He has done for me.

 *** look for a blog post in the next couple of days in what God is already doing in & through my journey to Haiti that is less than two weeks away now ;-)