Freedom - Part I

I was reading my friend's blog yesterday and it suddenly reminded me of something I was supposed to write but left it aside weeks ago. Freedom.

Freedom. Jesus says that it is for freedom that He came to set us free. Freedom from religion, freedom from sin.

She mentioned Pastor mentioned religious people saying things like:

“The TV is the devil’s box, don’t watch it.”

or “ If you bow towards your elders, it is like worshipping them so it is wrong."

Well, it really sounds absurd. But I want to say that sometimes these rules run more subtly in the church, and they do have them in every church, and this is because of man’s refusal to rely on God and God alone. Sometimes they need rules and regulations so that they know they’re ‘okay’.

More subtle ones would be like, “Thou shall attend service and cell group every week.”

or “Thou shall pray an hour a day and read 3 chapters of the Bible everyday.”

Well, really, it is unspoken and because it’s a spirit of religion. While the examples Pastor Kong mentioned might be blatantly dumb, but I think each of us should examine our hearts, because at the core of it is a spirit of religion.

Each of us has our own set of rules and regulations that decide if we’re ‘spiritual’ or ‘right’ with God. We have our own set of 20 commandments, or 200. It may not sound as blatantly stupid as what Pastor mentioned, but for each of us, often it comes unconsciously, into a heart that just refuses to lean purely on the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

In the beginning in the garden with Adam and Eve, God gave no rules, no nothing, and only one restriction not to eat of that tree. No Ten Commandments.

A few hundred years later, maybe thousands, we come to Abraham, who still didn’t have the Ten Commandments. Deemed righteous by God.

And then we observe Job, Noah who were deemed righteous by God, but hey, no Ten Commandments for them.

No Bible to read too.

But where does sin begin? It begins from a life that is resolved to be lived apart from God. The fact is, God placed a lot of desires in our heart, and it is our decision to choose to satisfy these desires apart from God that causes us to sin.

We desire beauty. God the creator of woman in her original glory, is far more beautiful than her. Yet when we seek beauty apart from God, we find pornography, prostitution and what not. But it is God that has the beauty that can truly captivate our hearts.

A famous writer (forgot name) said: “When a man knocks on the door of a brothel, he’s looking for God.”

We desire glory. God had given man and woman that glory in the original creation, but now that we’re separated from God, we choose to find our glory in riches, fame, power, when yet, God has the best and the original glory for us.

We desire fairness and justice. God is the judge for all, and it is when we choose to do justice for ourselves, we find murderers, unforgiveness, and hatred in our hearts. But God is the one who will do vengeance for the wronged.

We desire security. God gave it to Adam, but when Adam lost his glory, he was afraid, says the Bible. So since that time, us men and women have been trying to find security in all the wrong places, in having lots of money, in that girl/guy, in getting our As and what not. But it is God who can give us the ultimate security, because whatever else will fail with time.

But seriously, once you've seen the REAL thing in Jesus, you will never settle for what the world or the devil has to offer anymore.

So then, the Bible says to guard our hearts (and its desires), not to kill it.

I would see it as like .. let’s say, eating fast food. As I’m guilty of as I’m thinking about this.

We have a hunger for food. But hence here is the decision point, what would we use to ease that hunger? What would we use to fill that cup? So for most of us youths who don’t really give much of a care to our health, we fill it with fast food. We are fed, we fill full, but unbeknownst to us, our body is ‘polluted’ with crap.

And it works the same way for each and every desire of our hearts. We desire, let’s say.. security. Now we have options. More money so that we can have a secure future, the guy/girl that makes us feel safe, or God. It is like junk food, snacks or a wholesome homemade meal with fruits and vegetables?

Whatever we use to ease our hunger, to fill our cups, we would choose it more easily the next time. Whatever we choose to make us secure, we’ll in all probability stick to it.

Did you know that if a child grows up eating fruits, vegetables and all the right food in his/her diet, the child will have a distaste for sweets and chocolates and the nonsense food? Cool right.

It's the same with us. Once we tasted God, we don't want anything less. We reject the phoney.

I’m not saying it is not okay to find security in money, or a guy/girl. Each of it provides us with a certain level of it no doubt. I’m just addressing our ultimate source of security.

Which cup are you drinking from today to quench that desire? (Remember Jesus told the Samaritan woman to drink from a cup that she would never thirst?)

I remember one time I was praying in my room, and telling God, “God, I want to build this website and make $XXX dollars a month with it by the end of the year!”

“Why?” was the immediate impression I got.

I immediately thought out what was in my heart, “Because then I’ll be set for life (without You).” I was absolutely shocked at what came into my mind.

But I caught the idol of my heart. In my heart, I still wanted to rely on money to give me that security that only God could give. I smiled; gotcha! =)

It set me thinking about myself, do I really see money as a channel of blessing to others, or is it just to me so that I can live in the false security of it, thinking that once I have enough, all my life will be in a sense, settled.

A side note: It is good to talk out your feelings and your desires, often they give a big clue about the condition of your heart. Don't keep in all in, or trying to think what's not right and what's not wrong. You have to speak it out and go deep into your own heart.

Well, the point I’m trying to say is that, our desires are not wrong. That’s why Pst Mike say don’t go and drive a knife through your heart. Your desires are important and they matter to God.

Your heart is the treasure of the kingdom.

And so then, back to Jesus. What did He do for you? Bible says he came to set us free. It is for freedom he came to set us free.

How does reconciliation with God set us free? By having our desires connected back to Him again. When our desires are connected back to God, we become free from the bondage of anything of this world to seek what we are supposed to seek from God: Security, Beauty, Glory, Justice, what not.

We suddenly don’t need money anymore to give us security. No need pornography to find beauty.

It is when we are fully connected back to God once again, like in the original creation. That’s when the law gets written in our hearts. That’s when we can do away with these rules and regulations. Because by being connected back to God again, we automatically fulfill the law. Not that the law is abolished. No. It is fulfilled.

Would you covet if you knew (in your heart) that God of all universe is your provider?
Would you murder if you knew God would do justice for you?
Would you find an idol if you knew God would be your ultimate protector and provide you the security you need?

At Jesus’ death and resurrection, the veil in the temple was torn and the relationship between God and man could be restored, at its fullest potential, like in the original creation. The beginning without rules, without commandments, but a pure freedom to live freely with desire, free from addictions.

Yes, that’s the freedom Jesus is talking about.

The freedom to desire.

The freedom to live from your heart.

Our highest calling is not morality, it is freedom.

Friends.
In Jesus, you are truly free.

*Imagines yourself soaring with outstretched hands through the skies overlooking the lush green forests, passing through the great bodies of clouds in the sky.*

Yes. Freedom to live life to the fullest.

This, my friends, is called the Good News. =)

And in typical Braveheart fashion, I end my blog post with a,

*sword thrusted up in the air* "FREEEEEDDDOOOOOMMMMM!!!"