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posted ago by MamaChipmunk ago by MamaChipmunk +29 / -0

Some thoughts on Christ and His constant honor of individual freedom of choice. https://gratefulwifesprayers.wordpress.com/2021/10/14/lord-let-us-remember-you-are-lord-of-all/ "Lord, Let Us Remember You Are Lord of All He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Matthew 12:30 NASB1995

Freedom begins with The Lord. Made complete in Jesus, we are give always only free choice by His hand.

A God so powerful He speaks into existence all of life has given us the free choice to be against Him. He loves us so much He allows us, if we so choose, to completely deny Him, completely live away from Him, in a world He made. He ceded portions of that creation as temporary territory to those living life under the sun so that they may have that free choice.

I would say that is a God who respects the minds and hearts of those He created and that He wants us to make our own choices, hopefully following His leading and wisdom, in the rest of our lives.

There are those out there who have turned against this freedom. They count it their enemy, sure that some imagined greater good should be counted higher.

Should I then, as a follower of Christ, bow to this idea? Unthinkable. What He values, so do I. What He honors, so must I.

His ways are higher. Higher than me, and higher by far than ideas borrowed from those standing against Him.

If you don’t value the choice of the individual, you are operating against Christ.

The Bible calls for those who will choose to live in God’s will to follow His guidance, to be servant hearted and to care for the community, but it does not ever ask people to subjugate self to any “greater good” other than following Christ.

Once we are in steady relationship with Him, the Spirit guides us to our individual work among His plans for this world.

When we go off thinking we know what is good and expecting God to back us up without measuring that good against the only real barometer of good (His Word), we are anti-Christ.

Using our individual freedom of choice and expecting and allowing others to use theirs is one main way we follow Jesus. Knowing myself and my will are no higher than that of another created being, no matter how good I think my ideas may be for them, is part of being humble in Christ.

His thoughts are higher. He has a plan to save the world, to cleanse and save any and all who come and cling to Him. When I decide I’ll join the world in efforts to save itself, to cling to life in the body and under the sun, that’s me choosing to work against Him.

Jesus never stopped respecting individual choice. He who could have compelled any one to any thing never did so.

When in doubt, I try to remember to default to the Gospel. If we really want to do good for the most people in this world, that is the best and strongest tool.

By all means, be a good steward of any part of the world God has given you to care for, but let us not commit such hubris as to think He has given it all in to our hands to save or change aside from Him. Any good we do here is for Him, is through His Word spoken for that purpose.

Lord,

Help us not put ourselves higher than You. Let us remember that when we freely choose to follow You, we should not seek to then fit You into the shape of our ideas.

Lord, we confess we often see others doing things we don’t think are right or good, even other Christians. Help us to honor the freedom You gave us, and to love each other anyhow.

We the church are aching to come together and to hold each other up in love and fellowship, and that begins with respect for the individual relationships we each have with You. We can be confident that You, in that relationship, will grow us and guide us each in Your good timing.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen"