Celebrate the right freedom

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." -- Gal. 6:14

I love fireworks.

Ever since I was old enough to light a match, I was throwing smoke bombs, setting off bottle rockets and writing in the dark of night with sparklers.

I'm also very proud of our military folks.

My father was a Army veteran and had a vast collection of medals and honors from his time in the service. My first shotgun was a confiscated weapon from a mayor of a German village which my father's platoon attacked.

So, any holiday that honors our veterans and/or has fireworks connected to it, count me in.

But I'm also troubled when I see folks take more pride in holidays such as Memorial Day and July 4 than in their Lord and Savior.

Just two weeks ago, I was at a recital for my little girl, Olivia. She's involved with Angels' Wings, an interpretive sign language choir that has touched thousands of people over the years in ministry settings such as churches, nursing homes, Emmaus Walks, etc.

For at least an hour, the girls involved in this anointed ministry sang and signed praises to Jesus. I was a mess before the end of the first song!

As I was worshiping, I noticed an elderly woman in front of me who, on the surface, did not appear to be moved at all. She sat stoic and solemn throughout the evening. That is, until, the girls signed to "God bless America." At the end of that song, the smaller girls paraded in waving miniature American flags while the older girls finished their signing.

This woman was now in tears and applauded enthusiastically at the end.

Bear with me. I'm not judging this woman. But as a pastor over the last 13 years, I have seen plenty of folks get teary-eyed and very moved at the celebration and remembrance of this country's freedom, but remain untouched and hardened at the mention of freedom in Jesus Christ.

And that troubles me. It appears that for some, we have substituted patriotism for being born-again. For some, being an American is confused with being a Christian. (It would be wise of us to remember that if God had a favorite country, it's probably Israel, not the USA.)

Don't get me wrong. I'm probably more patriotic than most folks I know. I still cry at fireworks! But that is not my first boast. In fact, it's probably not in the top 10.

When I boast, I want to brag on what my Jesus has done in and through me, even despite me. When I boast, I want all glory to go to the Father in heaven who has shown me such mercy and grace. When I boast, I want the attention on the Holy Spirit who lives and moves and has His being within me.

When I boast of freedom, I want everyone to know it's Jesus who paid that price. And I am forever in love with Him.

Now that's worth a fireworks celebration!

The greatest hindrance to freedom

"We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags." -- Isaiah 64:6

Sin.

Such a simple word on the surface, but dig a little deeper, and you get into the briers and brambles that make up much of our human existence.

As the Word says, "we are all infected" with it. Not a one of us is immune from its tempting taunts in one form or another. It's universal. Indeed, sin woos and calls to us in unique and creative ways, but sin is the great equalizer of this world. We all deal with it.

And it is, perhaps, the greatest hindrance to freedom in Christ. Either we're in sin and refuse to admit it and turn from it; we can't silence the haunting voices of past sins long since forgiven by a gracious and merciful God; or we do daily warfare with the temptation that seems to have such a bulldog hold on us.

Regardless, there are days when it appears that sin is the victor. But thanks to the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, we have been given certain strategies to defeat the commander of this evil army.

First, we have permission to hate our sin. In fact, it's highly encouraged. Sin, which must be defined within the confines of the Word of God, is to be treated as the disgusting, foul, decaying matter that it is. Despite all attempts to dress it up, talk it down or perfume it away.

Second, we are invited to confess our sin. It, too, is highly encouraged. Sarah Young writes: "Man's tendency is to hide from his sin, seeking refuge in the darkness. There he indulges in self-pity, denial, self-righteousness, blaming, and hatred." But Jesus is the Light of the World, and He -- and only He -- can turn that darkness into light.

Third, we must understand the choice before us: the short and painful pleasure of sin, or the eternal and joyful awareness to the Presence of God. A.W. Tozer has said, "I would rather lose a leg and hobble along throughout the rest of my life than ever lose my sensitivity to God and His voice."

O, dear friends, do not be dismayed as the battle rages, for sin will surely continue to lurk and lure as long as we tread this cursed soil. But the ramparts for our victory are in place and the flag that flies over us as Christians is called Freedom.

Believe it. Trust it. Live in it. All because of Jesus.

Are you free of stuff?

"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules . . .?" -- Col. 2:20

Nathan Barlow is my new hero.

I never met him, and he's gone on to be with the Lord. But, nonetheless, he's my new hero.

I just finished teaching Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Lanesville High School this morning, and we're wrapping up the book, "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan. In Chapter 9, Francis challenges the reader to live a life so consumed with Jesus that you don't have time for "stuff." One example? Nathan Barlow.

He was a doctor who spent most of his life in Ethiopia serving folks there who were stricken with mossy foot -- an ugly condition that causes swelling, ulcers and infection in the feet and lower legs. (Imagine those with leprosy in Biblical days and you're thinking on the right track.)

Once, Nathan had to leave the mission field to return to the States because of a very painful toothache. He told his dentist that he never wanted to leave the people of Ethiopia for something so minor again, so he had the dentist pull all his teeth and fit him for false ones. That's crazy!

And that's the point.

Are we so crazy in love with our Jesus that we are free from the "stuff" of this world that keeps us so self-centered and self-minded?

Are we willing to search our hearts -- and our closets! -- and give away all our clothes except the very necessities?

Are we willing to surrender our Christmas this year and use the money we would have spent on ourselves and others to transform a life for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Paul knew that the people of Colosse had been set free from the ways of the world in order to passionately follow King Jesus. But something happened that started to drain the life and vibrancy from the Colossians. It was called "stuff."

And it's still called "stuff" today.

Not all of us are called to give up our teeth in order to do the work of the Kingdom. But all of us are called to allow the Holy Spirit to take inventory of our lives in order to point out those things that are keeping us from being freely in love with and radically serving our Lord.

So . . . any Nathans out there?

Freedom in the midst of troubles

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33


Just got back from an appointment with my kids' diabetes doctor. Pretty wiped out. (My youngest, Olivia, has had Type 1 diabetes for about 4 years now, and my oldest, Taylor, was just diagnosed in February.)

As the doctor looked at their individual blood sugar levels over the last few weeks, it was confirmed that Olivia is struggling with highs, and Taylor is dealing with lows. Sounds a lot like life, doesn't it?

I watched as my 10-year-old girl almost cried due to the frustration of trying to keep her hormones in check, while my 16-year-old young man joked and laughed his way through options of dealing with something called "exercise delayed syndrome."

Freedom, anyone? Sure didn't feel like it sitting in that small, badly-wallpapered room. All I wanted to do was grab my kids, bolt out the door and hide them in a pain-free, trouble-proof bubble. (Parents, do I hear a hearty "Amen!"?)

But that's not how life works. And that's certainly not what the Word teaches us.

In the midst of diabetes, disease, death and despair, Jesus does indeed promise freedom. Call it peace or courage or strength, but at its root, it's simply called freedom. Not freedom FROM all these troubles -- at least not yet. But freedom IN the middle of all these heartaches.

For we as followers of King Jesus know that He has overcome all of these momentary afflictions at the cross. So while we wait for the day when all things are made right again, we really do trust that His grace is sufficient for the day that He's given us.

And maybe that's even better than a bubble.

Praying that His peace is more than a match for your troubles today!

Have you settled?

"I pray that . . . (you) know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." -- Eph. 3:19

You know those snow-globe things, right? The glass balls you shake so everything floats around to make it look like it's snowing? It's neat for a few seconds, but pretty soon the "snow" settles and you're left with an expensive paper weight.

It's a principle of gravity and physics. Without some kind of internal or external shaking, particles settle. They fall to the bottom.

Unfortunately, the same can be said of our faith and our walk with Jesus. Without intentionality, our prayer lives become mundane and boring. Without focus, our time in the Word of God becomes, at best, a habit; at worst, a good intention that never happens. Without purpose, our worship becomes a motion we go through instead of an experience we long for.

I believe far too many of us have "settled" in areas of our lives when the Father in heaven wants, oh, so much more!

Paul prayed for the folks at Ephesus to "be filled with all the fullness of God." Do you hear the words "filled," "all" and "fullness?" Can you honestly use those words to describe your life today? Or, instead, does "empty," "none" and "deadness" come closer?

If the latter is more true, that's probably because you've "settled." You've settled for a nice, safe God instead of a supernatural God who delights in our steps of risky faith. You've settled for a prayer life that is more of a requirement rather than the highest privilege in all the world. You've settled for a luke-warm, watered-down version of the life that Jesus wants for you.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, explained Eph. 3:19 this way: "We are to be filled with all His light, love, wisdom, holiness, power and glory. A perfection far beyond a bare freedom from sin."

A bare freedom from sin? O, how many of us would long for just that! Freedom from sin that causes us to fall and hurt others and bring us shame and guilt. But Wesley believed -- and rightly so -- that Jesus offers us much, much more than just freedom from sin.

He offers a life FILLED with ALL the FULLNESS of God.

Is that your life today . . . or have you settled for something less?

Defining freedom

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free . . ." (Gal. 5:1)

I've had my e-mail address for as long as I've had e-mail: areyoufree2. The server has changed from time to time, but the actual name has not. The reactions over the years have been varied, with the most bizarre one being a young lady at a funeral I preached thinking it was a question of her dating status!

For Christians, it should probably mean just a little more . . . in fact, it should be the question of our lives: Are you truly free? Thanks to cultural theologies and worldly standards, even this 4-word question needs unpacking.

I do know what it doesn't mean. Freedom in Christ does not mean that we as followers of Christ are exempt from pain, suffering, disease or death. Two of my three children have juvenile diabetes and despite the constant pounding on the doors of heaven, they have yet to be healed.

Freedom in Christ does not mean we will never experience defeat, failure, despair or depression. Just ask any pastor!

Freedom in Christ does not mean we have a hall pass from temptation. In fact, as Charles Spurgeon writes, "The last howling of the dog of hell will be heard as we descend into the chill waters of the black stream of death."

Freedom in Christ does not mean being safe and tucked in bed from all the horrors of this life, only to wake up on heaven's side realizing it was a bad dream.

What freedom in Christ does mean is so much more eternal. Once we have trusted Jesus with our lives on this earth, then we are free from thinking this life is the only one that really matters. Once we have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus, we are free from thinking we are in control of what happens to us. Once we have repented of the sin that so easily trips us up, we are free from the shame, the guilt, the pain and the penalty that sin brings with it.

And once you're free, stay free! Stay free to enjoy this life as you live for Jesus, knowing that it won't be fair. But the heavenly Father's does not always remedy life's unfairness -- He does much better. He redeems it!

Stay free to love without condition, dance without restraint, worship without apology, and serve without hesitation. When all is said and done, living free in Christ is really the only way to live.

So . . . are you free, too?