24Feb2014 - Freedom and Thanksgiving

How you doin?  What a great day yesterday!  It started with our morning devotions, which is just our favorite part of everyday.  Then a wonderful church service and Sunday school.  Then in the afternoon was the annual church skating party.  It was so AWESOME!!!!!!!  I was so proud of the kids for how well they behaved and skated.  They had a great time and the joy of the Lord really showed in them and through them.  They are truly a blessing and gift from God.  More then them, I was proud of Stacey.  She is such a good wife, mother, and daughter.  We went with her parents so she had all 3 elements working yesterday.  The joy and love of the Lord was really plan to see in her yesterday.  She also was demonstrating her ability to be a wonderful aunt, sister in-law, and friend.  She took time for everyone and didn't neglect one thing or one person.  She is truly an exceptional person.  Her love for the Lord is obvious and Lord in her is obvious as well.  She just made me know how lucky I am to have her for a wife, the mother of my kids, and my life companion/partner. (Luck is an acronym, LivingUnder Christ's Kindness)   She is beyond AWESOME!!!!!!!  I'm not sure why Stacey and the kids were so highlighted to me yesterday, because when I think about it, they are so AWESOME!!!!!!! all the time.  We had a great dinner with Spike and mom O after the skating party.  I couldn't help but to notice how fortunate I am to have them as in-laws.  I truly don't have 1 in-law nightmare story.  They are also a gift. 

Yesterday during Sunday school there were some questions and topics raised that normally would have caused me a significant amount of guilt, shame, and self loathing.  However, I didn't have anything but freedom and thanksgiving.  We were discussing mis-prioritizing (I realize that's not a word, but it works) God.  We discussed the things that we do instead of serving God.  Sports, TV, work,... etc.  As I thought about it during my day, I felt freedom from obligation to serve God.  To me serving God is a privilege that I value very much.  I'm free from obligation to serve because I'm learning to live under the new covenant.  FINALLY!!!!!!!  God presents opportunities for me to serve Him and I obey.  It may be as big as organizing a spiritual conference, healing someone, or delivering someone.  It may be as small as a hug, phone call, or word of encouragement.  That's for God to decide.  It's up to me to obey His voice or call. 

As far as prioritizing God, I use to feel addicted to sports and TV in a crippling way.  The Holy Ghost has freed me from that captivity.  It did take some discipline on my part.  I gave up watching several shows.  I watched all 3 CSI's, House, Fringe, Cold Case, Without A Trace and others.  I also rarely missed a game played by a Philly sports team.  As I've prayed for God to increase my desire to know Him and love Him, He's answered those prayers.  The best way I can explain it is, God is always in my mind and on my heart.  I'm continuously conscience of stewarding the Holy Ghost.  I'm constantly mindful of pleasing the Holy Ghost in everything I do and say.  Since this has been imparted to me, I can watch sports freely.  Meaning it doesn't feel like an addiction or that I'm neglecting God.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus is Lord of my life.  I will say that my desire to watch things on TV that do not promote or increase purity has subsided completely.  I primarily watch Bethel TV or I'll watch speakers on YouTube.  I did watch "The Walton's" last week on the UP Network.  God has taken from me my desire to watch or say or participate in anything that cause impurity.  It's the old saying, "what you put in, is what comes out".  This process has some degree of discipline, but mostly it comes from the continued salvation that the blood of Jesus offers.  Jesus' blood offers so much more then salvation from death and hell.  Jesus' blood speaks a better word then Abel's.  So as Sunday school often does, it got me to thinking.  This time freedom and thanksgiving won over guilt, shame, and self loathing.  PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!!  I love being free.  I love seeing that the right Gospel of love, grace, and transformation into Christ likeness is starting to become the truth that I live in.  God's truth is speaking louder then life.  WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!  God's encouragement, edification, and revelation is never late... it's always right on time.  Enjoy God today.    

PS   I'm rereading Hebrews today.  At least the first 5 chapters. 

PPS  I was reviewing my notes from Sunday school while the kids are napping and I noticed that God had again given me some 80's pop/rock prophecy.  He does this very often.  We were reading  Matthew 21:33-46.  The "Parable of the Landowner".  It was pointed out that the "vine-growers" had rented the vineyard.  They were there by choice.  So as I'm sitting there in Sunday school the chorus to the song "Freedom of Choice" by Devo ran through my mind.  I'll let you decide how prophetic Devo was without even knowing it.  This is not a Christian band.

A victim of collision on the open sea
Nobody ever said that life was free                                                           

Sank, swam, go down with the ship                                                              

But use your freedom of choice

I'll say it again in the land of the free
Use your freedom of choice
Your freedom of choice
In ancient Rome there was a poem
About a dog who found two bones
He picked at one, he licked the other
He went in circles, he dropped dead
Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom of choice
Then if you got it you don't want it
Seems to be the rule of thumb
Don't be tricked by what you see
You got two ways to go
I'll say it again in the land of the free
Use your freedom of choice
Freedom of choice
Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom of choice
In ancient Rome there was a poem
About a dog who found two bones
He picked at one, he licked the other
He went in circles, he dropped dead
Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom from choice
Is what you want
Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom from choice
Is what you want
Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom from choice
Is what you want

I just so happen to know that Devo had a political axe to grind when they wrote this song, but for some reason God put an extraordinary "out there" song in my head while thinking about freedom and the choices I make.  I will say that I had the 8-track of this Devo album.  I liked this song WAY better then "Whip It".