Christ is Freedom!

Christ is Freedom!

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie, Days of Thunder.
Dr. Claire Lewicki: (Played by Nicole Kidman said to Cole Trickle, Tom Cruise) Control is an illusion, you infantile egomaniac. Nobody knows what's gonna happen next: not on a freeway, not in an airplane, not inside our own bodies and certainly not on a racetrack with 40 other infantile egomaniacs.

We all want to be in control don't we?  It feels good. It feels right. Let me tell you right now control is not all what it is cracked up to be. With control comes the responsibility of making your own decisions and then owning up the the consequences of those decisions.  Sure we have to take responsibility for the decisions we make, but it sure is unfair for us to take consequences of decisions we do not make. So the trick is to find someone who, when they make decisions for you, they make the absolute right decisions and they have your best interest in mind.

Now when I make decisions, I absolutely have my best interests in mind, no question about it.   However, I can say with a great deal of conviction that I do not always make the right decisions.  How about you?  Have you ever made a mistake? I know I have, but I also know who hasn't made a mistake. Not one mistake. Ever. Who, you may ask?  Jesus that is who I am talking about. Jesus never made a mistake. Jesus is for us.

Paul says to the Galatians, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery"  Jesus has already done the work.  He has already made the decision and now they want to take it all back.  They want to go backward instead of forward.  They want to take control rather than releasing all control to Jesus.  Why do people do that?  It's because they want to have some control. They want to be able to exalt themselves rather than God.  This is a totally human reaction and one that is common, but it also one we must fight with all our heart.  Once we have released it to Jesus, trying to take it back again is pure folly.  I know.  Every time I have done that, the results have been disastrous.

Jesus has done it all. There is no need for us to add to it or to subtract from it.  It is perfect and complete as it stands.  It is, as they say, what it is. Let go and Let God.

I am speaking to Christians now, so if you ever find yourself wanting to take back control  from God, relax.  That is something we all want to do.  But don't do it.  To do so would deny Jesus' work on the cross.  And if you are not a Christian, and have been struggling for some time with control, relax too...and give your life over to Jesus. Make that decision and see if I am not right and this is just what you need.

In another post we will examine the issue of faith and the part that reason  plays in all this, but for now, remember faith is enough....in the end it is always enough.


Blessings all!

--El