Monday, December 20, 2010

Free Will

Free Will

When Jesus died He freed me from the guilt of my sins.  He brought me out from the auth. of Satan.  My ownership was transferred at Calvary, not terminated.  I am now just as liable to the auth. of my new Master as I had been to the old one.  I am no longer obligated to serve the kingdom of darkness, nor am I free to decide what I will do, eat, wear, say, or go where I want.  The fact that I so often please myself does not mean that I have the right to do so.
When I served Satan I had no choice, I ‘walked according to the things of this world. (Eph. 2:2)  I was content that way because I knew no better. I was walking in my flesh; selfishness, pride, strife, jealousy, haughtiness, greed, lust, idols, hatred, anger….etc.    So there was not conflict---no spiritual warfare … just a natural existence.
But, now I serve Jesus, even though He has all rights to me, He lets me choose to serve Him: “I beg you…brethren…present your bodies a living sacrifice.”  (Rom.12:1)  He owns me and yet He begs me; He bought me completely and yet He waits upon my decision.  He allows me to live with a free will.  I can live for myself or die to myself and live for Him.  
Free will, am I willing to sacrifice it?  Am I really willing to give up everything to serve Him?   Do I really understand what this means?  Will I totally surrender no matter what the cost may be?
Can I surrender my idols, my money, my things, people I love, my life or my choices?
Why did He give me a free will when He bought me with such a costly price?    It must be because He wants no legal love, or reluctant obedience.  He wants me to want Him for Himself, not because I have no other choice.  Whereby, our relationship is a love relationship.
“Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them----living and breathing God!  Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.  Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God.  Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God.   That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.”  Rom. 8: 5-8  Message Bible
“….if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God…” Rom 8 13-14  NIV
Jesus loves me!

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