Happy Independence Day Church of the Way!
I hope you're having a great July 4th. After all of your
Independence Day celebrations, I hope you'll make plans to be at worship on
Sunday. For the next five weeks, James and I will be teaching a series pointing
to where God is taking our church in the next season. I'm super excited about
what God has in store. I hope you'll be there for "Go Beyond:
V15ION." We'll be talking about where we're at in moving toward
a permanent facility, and how God is calling us to reach more people with his
love in the next year. And we've got some exciting news about
some things happening this August and September. I get excited just thinking
about it. Can't wait to share with you on Sunday!
Thought for
the Week
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2
Corinthians 3:17
This passage in 2 Corinthians is the backdrop from
one of my favorite worship songs. In fact, you can listen to it right here.
I can really get a good jog in when that one is rockin' in my iPod. The old
King James Version of the Bible says "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty." Freedom. Liberty. Typically those are words we associate with the
4th of July. Surely, Independence Day is a time to celebrate the freedoms we
have in our country. We should be grateful for that. But, the kind of freedom
we experience DOES have parameters. We still have rules. We have a limited
freedom, and the rules give us boundaries within that freedom to protect us and
allow us some level of choice. But, our adherence to the rules are for our own
preservation, not our devotion to an ideal of freedom. Let me put it this way.
If there were no speed limits, how fast would you drive? Now, you probably
speed a little, but you keep it 10-15 MPH above the speed limit mostly because
you don't want to get a ticket. So, you might go 45 in a 35, but that's it. If
the sign instead read: "It's probably safe to go 35-45 MPH here, but do
whatever you want"...how fast would you go? That's the kind of freedom God
gives. His love is free. And we have freedom to be ourselves and not who
anyone else tells us to be. We are not guided by rules, but by His Spirit.
But, God still gives us clear commands, but have a choice to follow or not.
And He won't love us any less if we 'speed' right through. We obey in freedom
because of our adoration and love for the One who gave us freedom from our sins
and brokenness. But we don't have to. What will you do with the freedom God
has given you? Follow him or follow your own path. I know for me, that's an
every day decision. Decide today to follow the Freedom-giver.
In
Christ,
Carter
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