Short devotion: Fear vs Freedom John 3:16

 John 3:16 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. (NIV)

 We live in scary times because of all the uncertainty that we’re experiencing. We try to live our lives as normally as we can, but currently there seems to be so many setbacks that none of us can find a ‘normal’ routine. As creatures of habit, who have mostly relied upon things being stable, we find this deeply troubling and worrisome. As our worries increase, so do our fears; and as they increase, our freedom diminishes. Fear is the opposite of freedom – why? Because fear imprisons us.

 Freedom, however, is not the right to do what we want and act recklessly – that’s actually foolishness. Freedom is the God-given ability that human beings have to do the right thing at the right time, and not to do what we want just because we desire it. Sadly, so many people mistake selfishness for freedom and confuse their rights with their faith. Christ used His faith and freedom to save the world which involved sacrifice, humility, and love, so shouldn’t we as Christians be willing to show and do the same?

 God didn’t have to send Jesus into the world to become the cure for our sins, but love compelled Him.

 Jesus didn’t have to give up His life to grant us forgiveness, but our freedom required it.

 We don’t have to care for one another, but faith expects it, so we, who call ourselves ‘Christian’, should be at the forefront of doing what we can for others, not just for ourselves. If we are more concerned about our individual rights than the common good, then we need to get back to the Cross and look up at Jesus and ask ourselves this: what rights did He give up to fix our wrongs?

 Prayer: Lord Jesus, release us from fear by showing us the freedom that love provides. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

 John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to see what’s happening at the church, please visit the website at www.erinpres.org.

 Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Son Set.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click here: Son Set.

Free to Be? - 2 Corinthians 3:17

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (NIV)

In today’s society, when we speak about freedom, we normally mean being able to do what we want. We think about it as our personal right to be fiercely independent and woe betide anyone or any institution, authority, or government that gets in our way. Some folks are really aggressive when it comes to defending their rights to maintain their freedom, but what they are really doing is not allowing anything or anyone to interfere with their individual preferences. They might even use today’s scripture or similar verses to back up their claims, especially if they consider themselves to be strong Christians.

However, what the Apostle Paul meant by freedom and what we may mean today are very different. We tend to revise what was once written in order to suit our ‘freedom’ to interpret scripture as we please. But the times and society that Paul was living in were completely dissimilar to what we know today, so in order to correctly understand and apply this Biblical concept of freedom, we need to seriously look at its context.

For a start, Paul was writing to a small Greek congregation that existed in a society full of slaves and conquered people. Most of the churches that Paul wrote to were made up of a diverse population of all classes and ethnic origins. Each believer existed under the totalitarian rule of the Roman emperor; some of the first Christians were wealthy merchants whereas others were the lowliest slaves. This means that when Paul was writing about freedom, he wasn’t expressing it in terms of individual, economic, political, or personal rights; the apostle was writing about a spiritual liberty where believers would be free from the eternal consequences of sin and restored to God’s everlasting favor, so that all of them could serve God faithfully, cheerfully, and above all, freely. Paul was not writing about establishing individual rights or personal preferences; he was encouraging the Corinthian Christians to freely give their lives over to God in order to advance Christ’s mission.

So, this Biblical idea was not a case of doing what Christians individually wanted; it was the spiritual freedom to do what God fully intended for their lives.

Points to Ponder

When I think about freedom is it all about me or God? Do I honestly serve Him freely or just when it’s personally convenient?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach us about what freedom is. Forgive us for aggressively maintaining our personal preferences and individual rights, instead of faithfully serving You freely. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and freely worship God with us on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Free Spirit.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: FreeSpirit.

July 4 devotion for Independence Day

Psalm 18:49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.

Of all the special days on the American calendar, I love Independence Day the most. I guess that as a free-born Scotsman, whose leaders like William Wallace and Robert the Bruce fought and died for liberty, I appreciate the Great American Struggle to win independence for themselves. It was not an easy choice to make, nor was it an easy cause to fulfill. Without commitment and dedication, patience and perseverance, along with unity and determination, America's liberty would never have been won.

We often forget that they took on the strongest army in the world. We don’t appreciate the magnitude of the struggle. It was like David versus Goliath on an international scale and the rocks inside their slingshot, which fortified the Revolution, were called Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

I sometimes wonder if the revolutionaries fully knew what they were accomplishing. Most of them fought for their families and colonies. It was a question of survival against the mightiest power on Earth. When the War was over and their new Nation was internationally recognized, I wonder if they really understood what the consequences would be. Their gutsy decisions, haphazard victories, and loyalty to the cause engendered a new beginning for the whole world. They showed every nation on Earth that the God-given right to be free is the greatest force and noblest quality that humanity can ever aspire to or experience.

The writer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, once wrote “The God who gave us life…also gave us liberty.” In my opinion, that is one of the most truthful statements ever written in the annals of human history.

So today, I will celebrate this precious holiday by thanking God for the United States, its people, and its freedoms. I will remind myself of the costs and causes of the past, as well as the responsibilities that our liberties lay upon us today as free citizens. All of these blessings are God-given rights which we need to cherish and continue to spread throughout the world. After all, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness should be blessings that every child, woman, and man should know and experience all over this wonderful planet.

Prayer: Lord God, we thank You for the courage and wisdom of those who established this nation. We are humbled by their achievements and blessed by their accomplishments. Help us to cherish this day with our families and friends, as well as our neighbors and people. Let freedom ring throughout this nation and across the entire world. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. We will be delighted to see you and make you feel very welcome :)

Freedom and Faith - 2 Corinthians 3:17

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (NRSV)

            Freedom is something that every American I know of, cherishes deeply. Ever since this beautiful nation began, the fight for Liberty and our individual rights has been maintained and strongly defended. For almost 250 years, the citizens of this vast land have fought against foreign nations and internal foes to sustain what George Washington once described as this great experiment in Liberty.

This freedom, however, was not given to everyone when the United States was established, so both a Civil War and a Civil Rights Movement had to take place in order to expand this right of Liberty to more people. As each generation comes and goes, the struggle to maintain unalienable rights and broaden our freedoms continues. It is a work in progress and is being advanced all of the time. What one age group believes is freedom may be contested by a younger generation. What once was hallowed as a precious right may be changed by a better-informed and enlightened people. The idols of the past conflict with the ideals in the present; the outcome of such a struggle will determine who we are as a people and shape who we want to become.

As a Christian, freedom is very dear to my heart, especially the freedom from fear and anxiety which can liberate people from the tyrannies of terror, oppression, and self-preservation.  Upholding traditional rights can actually smother the faith of a future generation. When Christ brought the message of the Gospel to His people, it was radical and appeared irrational at times – after all, what right-minded, fiercely individual, and religiously zealous Judean would succumb to a coarse Galilean’s teaching about loving their enemies? Why would they give up protecting themselves by embracing their foes?

Why? Because Jesus knew that in order to be truly free they had to give up past idols and sacred cows in order to enjoy the liberating presence of God’s Kingdom among them. Fear had no place in a community of faith. Self-preservation and indignation had no claim with a Teacher who constantly proclaimed self-sacrifice and love. In other words, if we truly seek to be free, then we need to understand that true liberty can only be found where the Spirit of Christ abides.

Point to ponder

How much do I cherish my freedom? How does it conflict with or augment my faith?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of Liberty and the Founder of Freedom. You have liberated us from the shackles of sin; You can set us free from our fears and self-righteous ways. Grant us the courage to embrace what is truly right in Your eyes, even if it means letting go of some personal rights in our lives. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to give some feedback on today’s message, send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings for Lent. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Lent2018.