Contents:
A MOMENT OF
REFLECTION
FREEDOM
CHOICES
Greetings to all! I hope that life is treating you well, and that you’re moving forward to the goals you’ve set for yourself, and most importantly, toward the Goal that God has set for you – the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus – a worthy prize indeed!
I’m at the end of a busy week (but then, aren’t they all), but it’s been a rewarding one, and I’m thankful to God for getting me through it.
As I type I’m listening to a tape that a good friend of mine made for me. I’ve kinda lost touch with him over the last few months, but he’s on the list, so he’ll know I’m talking about him. A song is playing by a group known as The Art of Noise. They call it “Finale”, the tune is called “Passion Chorale”, and you might know it as the hymn, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”. That hymn, and the music in which it is framed would probably qualify as my favourite… having the potential to bring me to tears, depending on my mood…
O sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame
weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded, with thorns, Thine
only crown:
How art Thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse
and scorn?
How dost that visage languish, which once was
bright as morn?
What language shall I borrow, to thank Thee dearest
Friend,
For this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without
end?
O, make me Thine forever, and should I failing
be,
Lord, let me never, never, outlive my love for
Thee.
A simple hymn, a simple melody, arranged by Bach
into a beautifully woven chorale of intricate harmonies and wondrous counterpoint.
It is almost easy to become so wrapped up in the music that you miss the
words – a simple contemplation of the picture of Christ crucified for my
sins, a sacrifice worthy of a lifetime of love. This is our privilege
to return to Him. A simple reflection… just thought I’d share.
“Then Jesus said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided the property between his two sons. Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living.’” (Luke 15:11-13 New Century Version)
Consider that scenario – a father’s youngest son, his baby, comes to him asking for his inheritance. He’s not happy living in the house, under the father’s rules, working the father’s fields, eating the father’s food. He wants more…MORE! The father knows that the son will be happiest with him, but he also knows that the son needs to discover this for himself. He knows that there’s nothing to gain by chaining the son to the house, grounding him for making such an absurd request.
See, the father wants his son to love him, and he wants his son to learn how to make good decisions. And if the father in his wisdom makes the decisions for the son, the son feels miserable because he’s not convinced he’s where he needs to be, and he’s not certain of his father’s love in keeping him from being where he needs to be. So the father finances the son’s exploration… and eventually the son realizes his mistake and comes back home.
God is that Father, and God desires our love. God knows that unless we have the freedom to leave Him, we can never freely give ourselves to Him. He has not given us a spirit of fear, because perfect love casts out fear, and those of us who align ourselves with God because we’re afraid of what He will do to us… we need to check ourselves.
The story of the prodigal son paints a very clear portrait of a God of freedom – a God who loves us enough to die for us, and loves us enough to respect our choice if we choose not to recognize his ownership of our lives. He would never force himself on us, but he waits anxiously, with love, for us to return to him.
God knows, as we should too, that if you love someone, and you set him/her free, when they return to you, they are yours forever. And if they don’t, they never were, even while they were with you. Praise God that He is a God of freedom, and not a God of control. In my estimation, that makes Him all the more worthy of our love.
I’m running dry on stuff to say, so I’m going to go back into the archives to a devotional thought I shared with my college classes at the beginning of last school year. =)
God said, “Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now choose life! … To choose life is to love the Lord your God, obey Him, and stay close to him. He is your life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19,20 New Century)
Life is all about choices. You choose every day whether or not you will get out of bed, what you will eat for breakfast, whether you will attend class, whether you will study or play on the court. You choose whether you’ll put your right shoe or your left shoe on first. Now, it’s important to recognize that some choices are more important than others. Whom you go to the banquet with may have bearing on whom you marry. And how you choose to relate to God will have a bearing on this life, and the next.
Now, some of us come to college with a handicap. We have never had experience at making choices. Our parents, our siblings, our peers have made most of the decisions for us. In fact, some of us are here because someone sent us to be here. And some of us are still here because of the influence of others. Because we don’t have much experience at making choices, we choose to let others make choices for us. But even in this case, and sometimes without realizing it, we are choosing not to choose.
I’m reminded of those who don’t vote, and yet complain about the government. They chose not to participate in the electoral process, and therefore they have no right to be upset. Their choice was to allow others to make the decision that was rightfully theirs. And they have to deal with the consequences of their non-choice.
Life is like that. Decisions, choices, non-choices,
have consequences.
And we have to live with those consequences.
If you choose not to get out
of bed in the morning, you may miss out on a
great experience. If you choose not to study diligently, you may miss out
not only on an “A”, but on the learning that you came here for. If you
choose not to make God your friend, you will miss out on the best friendship
you can ever experience.
God chose to send His Son to reconcile the human
race back to Him. God
chose to reveal to you His love, through His
son. Your choice is whether
or not you will accept His gift. That choice
is the most important one
you can make. Life is about choices. What will
you do with your choices?
Your choices determine who you are.
- your character is revealed as you make choices
Your choices determine how you will respond to
life.
- you can choose how you will react to most situations
Your choices determine your future.
- what you will be, you are now becoming
Joshua said, “As for me and my family, we will
serve the Lord.” (Joshua
24:15, NCV)
So choose well… that’s my point of view.
Yeah, I guess this has been a very busy week, without much time to experience life… and I’ve spent a lot of time inside myself, or sleeping. So until the next time I share a point of view, may God hold you in His hand, and may you feel comfortable there =)
Dave.
P.S. Don’t send too many replies to everyone
on the list, ‘cause sometimes people get tired of too many messages from
people they don’t know. Also, let me know if you’re forwarding these
on to other people… for the most part, I chose each of you carefully for
inclusion on this list. A couple were recommended… =)