Monday, June 10, 2013

I Am Free!



It is freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by the the yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1 
 
Sometimes it is difficult to live in the freedom that Christ offers us. I recently received a comment on my last blog, "He Really Loves You". The comment was asking does God still love us even when we are not acting Christ like?
 
Even though Christ has set us free, sometimes we keep ourselves in bondage, because we are burdened by our thoughts that are keeping us enslaved.  We have thoughts that are limited to our frame of reference, limited to our experiences and our past pain.  But God's thoughts are not like ours, His thoughts have absolutely no bounds.  He is not enslaved with thoughts like we are. And when Christ died on the cross, he gave us the capability, not to have His thoughts, but to have a mind like His, because set us free completely.
 
We are free to walk in His love and forgiveness, even if that includes forgiving ourselves when feel undeserving.  Satan would have us carry every single burden in life, to walk around in defeat and sadness, because of mistakes we have made. But God would have to walk around in complete joy and freedom.  And when any burden gets too difficult for us, He even asks us to throw our cares on Him, because He cares for us.
 
We have a tremendous opportunity to walk in freedom through Christ! When my husband took his life, there was a yoke of slavery that jumped on me for a season, this yoke made it difficult to forgive myself. I was constantly burden with thoughts like,  "What could I have done to have stopped him?" "Should I have listened more?" "Should I have reached out more?" But at the end of the day, I realized my circumstances were not changing. I was not getting out of this prison. Finally I decided, if I did not forgive myself, I would never get to a place of healing. And if I allowed myself to remain in bondage, how could I help my daughters to see the glory of God even in the most difficult of situations?
 
Giving Jesus my hurt, pain and unforgiveness, put me on the road to freedom! Certainly, the pain did not go away over night, but I learned ways to grow and walk closer to God through my situation; without carrying heavy burdens that block for me from seeing the love of God.  I'm free! And in that freedom I am able to love others more freely and I am able to forgive more than I ever before. Because when Christ sets you free, you are free indeed.
 
Father, please help us to accept the freedom you have for us, help us to desire to walk in Your freedom and open our hearts to Your love. Because Your love has absolutely no bounds, no limits. And cause us to constantly remember, that You are always there and You want us to cast our cares on you. Thank You for Your love.  Amen.

Friday, June 7, 2013

He Really Loves You




And you may have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high,d e and how deep his love is. (Ephesians 3:18)
 
 
It is so amazing to feel loved! To know someone loves you completely! There have been times in my life when I have felt totally alone.  I thought to myself: "no one knows my pain, no one can relate with my suffering."
 
But when I read the words found in this passage, I am reminded exactly how much God loves me. There is absolutely no ending to His love for me.
 
Friends may give up on me and family members could easily get tired of me.  But God will always be there with His arms stretched out to receive me.
 
His love is deep, His love is unfailing and I am grateful.
 
"Father, teach me and give me the power to understand how wide,              
how long, how high and how deep your love is for me every day".
Amen.