Liberty or Death

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

What better symbolizes freedom than the Statue of Liberty? 

Constructed in France, disassembled, and then shipped to New York in 214 crates, “Lady Liberty” was re-assembled and later officially dedicated in October 1886. Since then, the iconic statue has inspired millions around the world to experience freedom by immigrating to the United States and escaping the hardships or persecutions they faced in their mother countries. 

Today, Americans enjoy countless rights and privileges protected through federal, state, and local laws. The First Amendment of the Constitution even guarantees our freedom to worship God as we see fit. But if we look at things through the upside-down way of Jesus, no one (of any nationality) has any real freedom. The truth is that we’re all slaves! 

Regardless of what’s written in our Bill of Rights or the Declaration of Independence, everyone without exception is a slave to someone or something. They might not have literal chains around their wrists and ankles. But they still lack God’s perspective of true freedom. As Jesus put it so bluntly:

“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

This type of sin represents bondage to the world’s values, and it comes in many forms. It might be slavery to money and possessions, pleasures, fame, a career — or even religion. But however it appears, sin boils down to substituting false, man-made gods for the One and Only True Creator.

Christ-followers are also slaves. But the big difference is that they willingly choose to give up the temporary things of this world for the true freedom gained from an eternal relationship with Jesus.

“Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey,” asked the Apostle Paul, “whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Paul’s question reveals that our choice is one of liberty or death: Following Jesus or following sin.

Is this a difficult decision? Let’s remember that our earthly possessions aren’t really our own, and we certainly can't expect them to last. We can lose our jobs unexpectedly through layoffs or so-called downsizing, and our homes and property can be ruined through a natural or man-made disaster. Serious health issues can arise at any time. And let’s face it: the mortality rate for everyone is 100%. No one gets out alive.

The fact is that one day we WILL lose it all in one way or another. And unfortunately, most people will choose to do it through their slavery to sin. But there’s a far better and more satisfying choice: Becoming a lifelong servant to a very kind master by accepting Jesus’ generous offer of salvation.

"Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever," Christ assures us. "So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Take it or leave it, the choice is ours: Liberty or Death.

Road Warriors

Even the hairs on your head are counted. So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.

– Luke 12:7

Think your daily commute is rough? 

Even if you’ve braved the infamous rush hours of Atlanta, Northern Virginia, New York City, or even Los Angeles, count your blessings that you don’t live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to the Urban Mobility Research Network, gridlock in that South American metropolis of 12.4 million means that some residents spend the equivalent of one month per year in traffic, or 2.4 hours per day. And as car ownership increases there — and with it further congestion — these numbers will only grow.

Sao Paulo residents (“Paulistos”) cope the best they can as the gridlock consumes more and more of their lives. But a sense of helplessness leaves many of these road warriors feeling angry, exhausted, and depressed. This quote from one frazzled commuter says it all:

"I feel useless, like I am a prisoner," said Andreia de Oliveira, an architect who spends between two and three hours each day going to and from work. "I could be at the gym, studying, at home relaxing. But instead, I am stressed and frustrated."

You might not have to suffer through that level of bumper-to-bumper traffic. But you — like every human being — have at one time or another felt like things have spiraled out of control. Maybe you feel like that today. (And for good reason.) But believe it or not, God happens to be in control of the situation.  

God’s sovereignty over circumstances is a fundamental concept that every Christ-follower should embrace. But one reason we don't is because we can't see the big picture. We don’t know the life-changing people and situations he’ll bring into our existence. Likewise, we don’t have his vantage point of knowing what’s around the corner and miles up the road. And obviously, it’s hard for us to see a greater purpose in our lives when we're going through the pain of unemployment, lingering illness, family problems ... and even death. But God is in total control. And for those who trust and follow him, he offers this assurance:

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you,” says our Creator. “Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Have things gone haywire in your life? If not, they will eventually. But don’t lose hope. God cares for each of us and even invites us to be his sons and daughters through a personal relationship with his own Son, Jesus Christ. With this Good News in mind, we can count on God’s words of healing and hope through Psalm 147:3 — a timeless promise meant for each of us today:

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Gospel Truth

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness …

– 2 Timothy 3:16

Can we really believe what's in the Bible? And is all that stuff about Jesus rising from the dead really true? In a word … YES! And here’s how we know:

First, the Bible not only claims to be God's Word, it backs it up with hundreds of prophesies (predictions) about events that actually happened decades or centuries later. For example, the Old Testament records in detail God's plan for saving mankind. The prophet Micah wrote that the Savior would be born — in of all places — an obscure Middle Eastern town called Bethlehem. And as we read in the New Testament, Jesus later fulfilled these prophesies to the letter through his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection!

Historically and scientifically accurate, the Bible is also the most studied and critiqued book in history. Try as many have, no one has been able to disprove its claims. Luke, the physician who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, also wanted the real scoop. So, he interviewed the people who knew Jesus best and could attest to his veracity. Let’s consider the opening lines of Luke's first book:

"Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us. They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened. So, I made a careful study of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. ... I have done this to let you know the truth about what you have heard."

The apostle Peter — someone who knew Jesus personally — also presented his own testimony:

"When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented," he wrote. "But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes."

It all adds up to a mountain of convincing evidence that would stand up in court. So, as Christ-followers seeking to grow in our faith, what's our response to this awesome reality?

First, we should take time each day to read and memorize the Bible. After all, it's our Creator’s message to us that covers just about every facet of life. And of course, we also need to obey it — even if it doesn't always make sense at the time. What's more, we should delight in it because we know it's the source of truth for our life. And that all leads to our final response: TRUST.

Yes, God's word to us through the Bible is trustworthy. And who's better to confirm that than someone who very much believed it himself: Jesus. Luke's gospel tells us that Christ even launched his public ministry by reading passages from the Book of Isaiah:

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

A tiny Jewish congregation was the first audience for these stunning words of new-found meaning. But Jesus also meant them for everyone — even those of us today — with ears to hear and hearts to believe.

Let's Go!

Then Jesus said to all the people: “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me.”

– Luke 9:23

The June 6, 1944, landing on the French beaches of Normandy — the bloody event best known as D-Day — involved an estimated 2 million Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen plus thousands of naval vessels and aircraft. About 17 billion pounds of supplies supported it. And if it weren’t for a stubborn weatherman and a general who were willing to risk the outcome of World War II, this history-changing invasion might have turned out quite differently.

American, British, and Canadian troops had trained for D-Day for months. And the German military knew that an invasion of Europe would come sooner or later. The question was where … and when. June 5 was the original date with destiny. But the weather was questionable and could make the English Channel treacherous for the thousands of vulnerable landing craft and support vehicles. Dr. James Martin Stagg, the Allies’ lead weatherman, advised postponing the massive invasion. But he told supreme commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower that there should be a break in the clouds on June 6. Several members of the meteorological team disagreed with Stagg’s interpretation of the weather charts. But after considering the situation for just 30 seconds, Eisenhower made his commitment by announcing, “OK, let’s go.”   

Commitment is a rare quality that God has valued in his people for thousands of years. Joshua, one of the great servant leaders of the Old Testament, displayed this trait when he challenged the tribes of Israel to choose who they would serve: the false gods of their ancestors or the one True God. 

“But as for me and my household,” declared Joshua, “we will serve the Lord."

Jesus also seeks this same level of total commitment from his modern-day followers. Rather than would-be believers who might help build his kingdom if it’s not too inconvenient for them, Christ demands an all-or-nothing relationship from those willing to give the little they have to eventually gain everything.

Does this sound unrealistic? Jesus’ closest friends once thought so. One day, a rich young man asked Christ what he had to do to gain eternal life. Knowing what was in the man’s heart, Jesus reminded him about following God’s commandments about theft, adultery, murder, lying, and honoring one’s parents. When the man replied that he had kept these laws since childhood, the Savior told him that he lacked just one thing: the need to sell all his possessions.

Jesus knew that rather than loving God with all his heart, soul, and mind (the first of the 10 Commandments), the rich man was actually committed to money. The would-be follower was crushed by Jesus’ harsh revelation and soon turned away. And Jesus’ apostles were just as amazed. “If this is the way it is,” they asked, “who can ever be saved?”

“What is impossible for man,” Christ responded, “is possible with God.”

The lesson here is that God is committed to us. But are we just as committed to Him?