Good morning,
The word freedom has taken on a whole new meaning these days. Now that the law of God has become the enemy of our cultures and the law of personal fulfillment has become the goal that we are trained to live by, the word freedom is based on control and not on loving care. Our leaders are no longer talking about integrity. We are now building our lives on what works for us and helps fulfill our dreams and meets our expectations. This kind of thinking is now showing up in our churches and our personal lives in very interesting ways. The words right and wrong are now based on personal values and cultural approval. Each succeeding generation is now feeling entitled to a new and improved approach to knowing and following God. Alas, the Accuser is telling us that getting on the right track starts with abandoning the old ways in order to be truly free. Now the actual meaning of what we are calling freedom is the word licentious. On a day by day basis this means that whatever I want to be right is right and whatever I think is wrong has to be wrong. When we think this way, freedom means that I get what I want, and what my decision does to others is their problem, not mine.
This approach in really nothing new. Jesus made it quite clear that when we judge others based on our own standards, we are forgetting that there are eternal standards that will be used by the Judge of all of time and eternity when he calls us out of this world. This kind of pride based judgement leads to pain and anger for those we judge and produces the same kind of judgement from others in return.(Matthew 7:1,2) The most serious outcome of this kind of lifestyle isn’t what others think. The most serious outcome will come when we stand before the Judge, Jesus, in eternity to hear what he has to say about what we have done. The laws for living that God has given us are designed to make our lives here on earth lives filled with meaning and freedom from fear and self centered living. James reminds us that, So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.(James 2:12) God gave us his rules to lead us from slavery to our sin nature to a freedom based on mercy and love for those around us. God has made it quite clear that the decisions we make now will have eternal results when we stand before his throne. For those who live for themselves he tells us, There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. This so called freedom will lead to an eternity of earned judgement. But for those of us who live by God’s rules of mercy and love he tells us, But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. Dear Lord, please help us to live by your laws that set us free instead of making our own laws that will find us under your wrath for eternity.
James 2:12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you
Roy Wisner
