Freedom Comes At A Cost

 This was originally published July 4, 2017. Freedom Isn't Free.

I have reworked it some and updated it.

The independence we celebrate today we all hear, see and know comes at a cost.  Those who have and do serve in our nation's military sacrifice  much, so that what we know as America and her freedoms are protected. They sacrifice comforts, family, security, safety, health, and sometimes their lives....much more than some of us will ever know.
and for that I am grateful!

There is another freedom, greater than the freedoms we have in this country...a freedom that is yours no matter what country you live in or what circumstance you find yourself in.
And that is the freedom we have in Jesus Christ.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

That came at a cost too.... an only Son was given  to do battle for us, fighting the biggest enemy this world has known. 
 ^📖 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

He was wounded, tortured, beaten and  even gave His life, BUT HE WON THE BATTLE and He won our freedom!
📖 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

He did not stay dead!  He rose again....that is how HE won and why we can have victory too!
📖...just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:4

With that victory comes the freedom from the penalty that comes with sin.  The ultimate penalty for our sin is eternal death, separation from our God.
📖 For the wages of sin is death,
BUT because Jesus, our Warrior, took that penalty for us, we can claim freedom!
📖 but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
IF we claim Him as our Lord and Savior!!
📖 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Romans 6:7-11
Freedom in Christ gives us:
the ability to approach God with confidence
 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:10-12
Freedom to read and understand God's word....and the freedom to put God's word into action.

^📖  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25

Freedom to show mercy, God's mercy

 ^📖 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:12-13

Freedom to serve God and to respect and love those God puts in our the path of our lives

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:16-17

Freedom to love, worship and walk with the Lord God

 May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,    your salvation, according to your promise;
then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
    for I have put my hope in your laws.

 I will always obey your law,
    for ever and ever.
I will walk about in freedom,
    for I have sought out your precepts.
 I will speak of your statutes before kings
    and will not be put to shame,
for I delight in your commands
    because I love them.
 I reach out for your commands, which I love,
    that I may meditate on your decrees. Psalm 119:41-48

Freedom from a sinful life.  Freedom to live a holy life...

 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.  What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ...

...a life that will lead to eternity

...But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.   Romans 6:19-22

🙏🏼I pray that you find freedom in Christ today!♥️
📖 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free... Galatians 5:1

God's Blessing

 This weeks blog was inspired by a short message given at our annual Ecumenical Baccalaureate service. In our community the churches in our school district honor our graduating class with a service. Music, scripture, a message and prayer are what we share.  Each church has a representative take part. All seniors, their families, school staff and faculty are invited. We never know how many will attend, but we pray that the love of Christ is evident to those who are there. 

This year one of the pastors had the task of Blessing the Seniors using Numbers 6:24-26

I don't have total recall. But what she said inspired what follows. (thank you Belle!)

God's blessing.

📖  “‘“The Lord bless you

    and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’  Numbers 6:24-26

He blesses us with favor, protection, prosperity, peace.

 God gifts us with His blessings of:

Favor...His love. God offers His love to ALL!

📖 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Protection..in His love . Not freedom from hurts or tragedy but He protects and keeps our soul.

📖  You are my hiding place;

    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7

Like the line from the old hymn "He hideth my soul in the cleft odnthe rock..."

Prosperity...in the form of provision.  

Our daily bread, not necessarily stores for years, or unlimited wealth or even everything we want. He provides for our needs. 

📖 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Peace...His peace ... it doesn't mean ease, it means His perfect inner peace

📖 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

📖 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

God's blessing is there for each of us..

We just have to receive it.

🙏🏼Our gracious Lord, thank You for Your mercy, grace and generosity. May each person accept the blessings You offer them today. May they use them to spread Your love. Amen♥️

Good Good Father

"You're a good good Father it's who You are

I am loved by You it is who I am"

A line from the Chris Tomlin song Good, Good Father.

As I listened to the song on Sunday a nugget of truth caught my attention. 

No matter what our earthly father was or is like... even the greatest of Dad's are still only human. 

Our Heavenly Father is perfect in all of His ways.  He IS goodness.  That is who He is. PERIOD.

📖 As for God, his way is perfect:

    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30

📖 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;  his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5

and also regardless of who we are and what we have done...we are loved by Him.  That is who WE are ..and nothing we can do changes that.

📖  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

You may choose to disregard it, ignore it, or flat out deny it.  BUT it does not change the fact that you are loved by HIM.

He waits.

📖   The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Do you see?!....God is goodness itself...He invented it. It is who He is. 

And He loves YOU. 

All you have to do is accept His love and love Him in return.

📖   If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:15-16

🙏🏼 Our amazing Father, thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for our fathers here on earth, regardless of their human faults. It is because of all our flaws that YOU gave Your Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Help us to recieve that love and pass it on to others. Thank you for being the good, good Father who loves all unconditionally.  Amen♥️

🎵 Good Good Father. Chris Tomlin

For His Pleasure

 Something I heard while listening to my book..

"We were created for His pleasure "

"We were created for Him"

Caused me to want to find in scripture where it might be.

📖 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11 (KJV)

📖  Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth
7 everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”    Isaiah 43:5-7

📖  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers o authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16

He delights in His creation!

📖 He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19

📖 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalm 147:11

 

🙏🏼I pray that today you believe He is delighted in you. That you know you were created for Him and His purposes. And you can trust His purpose is good!♥️

📖  for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.  Philippians 2:13

Never Fails

"The prayer that never fails" is a line from a series of books I have read and reread. 

In the Mitford Series  by Jan Karon,

Father Timothy Kavanagh and his wife "pray the prayer that never fails"

“I’m expecting God to send him [Kenny], I believe God will send him, but in the end . . .” [says Father Tim]

 “In th’ end, what?” [asks Sammy, their teenage charge]

 “I continue to pray the prayer that never fails.”

 “Wh-what’s it say, I f’rgit.”

 “Thy will be done. It’s what our Lord prayed when He knew He was going to be crucified, it’s . . .” 

“An’ s-see what happened?” Sammy looked deeply troubled. “It d-didn’ work.”   [pg.365 A Light From Heaven by Jan Karon]

📖 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Matthew 26:42

But don't you see....it did work!

it didn't fail, God's will prevailed!  In the horribleness and the pain and the tragedy God's will overcame it all when Jesus claimed victory over death and sealed our salvation. 

So if we pray "Your will be done" instead of dictating what we believe should be the answer...we can be rest assured that in the end the outcome will be His will. Even if we can't understand the process. We keep the faith, keep serving, worshipping,  communicating, and loving Him. 

He will bring good...His will out of it.

📖 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:28-29

His good....not our version of good.

I just saw a reel by Megan Fate Marshman  today....to paraphrase;

God's version of good is Jesus, and what brings us to that place of conforming to be more like Jesus is that hard place, that horrible stuff we have to go through.   We don't become good by our effort or by what we do but in the very things we are going through. 

🎞 For Our Good. Megan Fate Marshman

🎵 For the Good Riley Clemmons

🙏🏼Lord, we know Your good comes out of our worst ....and brings us closer to the image of Christ. Please help us to remember that YOU are with us through every step of it. Your will be done.

Amen♥️

Memorial Day 2024

 I hope you don't mind I am reusing my blog from 2022's Memorial Day post ( whichwas a repost of 2021). The words still ring true.

What does Memorial mean? 

1 : serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative. 

2 : of or relating to memory. (Merriam-Webster.com)

Today, in the United States, we celebrate Memorial Day...a day that was set aside to honor those who gave their lives in service to our Country.  Wreaths are placed on memorial stones, flags lowered, poems read, Taps played and gun salutes fired.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is observed on the last Monday of May. Wikipedia

I have blogged about the day in past Coffeetime With a Dear Friend posts; Bucket Full of Grace (2020), Lord Bless (A Reminder) 2019, Lord Bless (2018, 2017)

Today, as we celebrate and honor those who have sacrificed on Memorial Day...I am going to go in another direction with the word "memorial"; "Of or relating to memory"  

As we read scripture, there are many who gave their lives in the "battle" to advance the word of Christ.  His followers, disciples, were martyred.  Stephen, Andrew, Peter and other names down through out the ages.

📖While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60

Of course the One that comes to mind most prevalent is Jesus Himself.  He died so that we could have eternal life, so that our sins would be forgiven, and so the Holy Spirit could come for each one of us.  

📖  “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.    John 14:25-26

 When Christ walked the earth He was able to talk to crowds but there were limitations of what His earthly body could accomplish.  It wasn't until He gave His life that there were no limitation, no boundaries, (short of our refusal).  Once His death and resurrection were completed the gift of the Holy Spirit was able to happen and every individual  believer was able to have that indwelling.

We as believers can never forget what was done for us.  To memorialize what He has done we need to tell our story; what Christ has done for us, to pass on the words of Christ. MEMORIZE His word, it is another way that we can remember what He has done for us. 

Giving our lives as living sacrifices allows us to be living memorials as well.

📖 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship Romans 12:1

However there is a BIG distinction; Memorial Day we honor the dead ....and I have talked about the martyred for Christ...Christ died.. BUT He LIVES!  Because Jesus conquered death itself ...and we have the victory!  THAT is our story and what we want people to know!!

📖 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Peter                                                                                                Lord Bless 

Lord Bless the memories

of those who have given their lives in service to our country

Lord Bless the soldier

at their post, where ever that may be

Lord Bless the families

who are left behind to continue on with their lives

Lord bless the ones

who carry the scars as a reminder of their sacrifice

Lord Bless those

who have been and are prisoners to an enemy

Lord Bless the children

who hold a picture of the man they call their Daddy

Lord bless the wives

who sleep alone,

Lord Bless the parents

Lord Bless the children
who hold a picture of the man they call their Daddy
Lord bless the wives
who sleep alone,
Lord Bless the parents who wait at home  

Lord Bless them,

the men and women

who have dedicated their lives

to protecting what we know as our country,

our freedom, our home;

the United States of America

  

Tracey J. Thompson

©5/27/06

Photos by Rachel Ramsdell Photography

i

Lean In To Hear

I had the privilege to attend the New York State Association of Fire Chaplains (NYSAFC) annual conference with my husband; who is a firefighter and the Chaplain of our local volunteer fire department. 

Over three and a half days there are speakers, spouses activities, the annual meeting, new officers, worship, a memorial service and lots of fellowship and eating...good eating! This year we swore in the new Chief Chaplain for his two year term.

The theme for this year's conference was "Let Your Light Shine".

I enjoy listening to the speakers they have for their training sessions, and this year was no exception.

Some of the things I heard through out the conference;

👂 "Kindness is something we can do well" and we can do it well by;

"Practicing the act of kindness".  The little things; a smile, a nod, holding a door, etc. Small gestures that can make a huge difference, to make someone feel noticed. 

A story shared within the conversations about suicide and suicide prevention; "after an individual who successfully took their own life a note was found. "On my way" (he was heading the the Golden Gate Bridge), "if one person smiles at me I won't do this."  One smile would have changed the course of this person's existence. 

We have that ability, that power, that responsibility. 

📖  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32

As Christians we are to show God's love to everyone one we meet..even if we don't feel like it.  

📖  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39

What usually happens when you smile? They smile back...say hello? they say hello back. YOU will receive back what you give.

📖 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38

👂"Lean in to listen"

The gentleman who said this was apologizing for getting in personal spaces as he leans in to listen because he is hard of hearing. But it made me think of our God. He leans in to listen to us...though He doesn't need to...He created us to communicate with Him and He leans in to hear what we have to say to Him.

📖 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:28-29

👂"Listen" was a word spoken often, how important it is to just listen. The importance of listening was reiterated through out the conference. People need to feel they are being heard.

📖 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— proverbs 1:5

How can we respond or even begin to help if we don't listen to what is going on within.

📖  My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  James 1:19

We are Jesus's hands and feet....we need to be His ears. He hears along with us. But right below our ears are our shoulders...and our arms extend from those.  From our listening...a shoulder to lean on, cry on, and then arms that can hold someone.

📖   Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans12:15

The best way we can practice kindness and do it well is to be aware of those around us and that they know there is a listening ear, a kind shoulder and compassionate arms when they need.

My prayer 

🙏🏼 Dear Lord, I pray

📖 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Guide each person in the direction they should go. Please give compassion, empathy in their listening and acts of kindness♥️