Tag: freedom

Comparisons

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“Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” 22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” John 21:21-22 (NLT)

I am terrible at comparing myself to others. I have done it my whole life. I wish I was shorter (I just had to wait on that one, you know…gravity and age). I wish my hair was that color. I wish I could dress like that. I wish I could write like that. I wish I could teach like that. I wish I could pray like that.

I think, like most people, my life has many desires that I wish for.

The thing is, though, my life is exactly how the Lord created me. Yes, I pray differently, I write differently, I dress differently, I do what I do. I do me.

Often I go to Psalm 139:13, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (NLT) My youngest daughter is a knitter. I have often watched her take a ball of yarn and turn it into a work of art. She patiently works the yarn in her hands, pulling stitches that don’t work and re-doing them. She measures and calculates exactly how many stitches to place here and there. The end result will often bring about ooh’s and aahhs. Most of her work are gifts to others. I have seen reactions from those who have received gifts from her. The joy in the faces, the appreciation of her work, the details that she never fails to put into place.

We (I) am knit together. In my mother’s womb the Lord took two pieces and knit me together. The details, the height, the hair, the eyes, the brain, the speech, the type of walk we have. The Lord knit us together.

His artistry was unique for each of us. He did not compare us to His other work, that did not matter. What mattered was us, each individual.

The apostles learned this afresh when they asked about John. What about him? It was the same as us saying, “I wish I could, or did, or have….”

This lesson hit me today during my quiet time. I am me. You are you. A perfect artist knit us together to be exactly who we are. Likewise, we need to follow Him. That is the perfect response we can give our Creator. He made us and knows us intimately. To follow Him, allowing Him to work in this creation that we are, gives Him the ability to work in us. We, then, will see the freedom to be who we are and what we were created to do.

Ezekiel 16:60-63

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Today in my quiet time, I read the 16th chapter of Ezekiel. As I have been reading the Old Testament prophets, I have thought of our country.

246 years ago our country declared it’s Independence. We stood strong and held closely to our beliefs. We wanted freedom of religion. We wanted to be able to worship our Lord without the dictates of how we should do that. We wanted freedom from taxation without representation. We wanted to be a sovereign country of our own.

There were many other reasons, and I cannot list them all as I am afraid I would not correctly list them. But, this I do know, our country was founded on God. Our forefathers depended upon Him. Their writings reflected Him. God was an integral part of the birth of this nation. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence did so knowing that their lives were on the line. Signing this document, could have meant signing their death warrants. The battle that followed also put men in direct path of death. They fought for what they believed in and held as truth in their hearts.

Now, 246 years later it is my belief that this country is like a petulant toddler. Generations have passed since the founding fathers put their life on the line. Our young country has grown, it has become powerful and yet our dependence on God has grown cold.

People often quote II Chronicles 7:14, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (NLT) when they request prayer for our country. This is an excellent quote, but too often the phrase “and turn from their wicked ways” is not part of the prayer.

Our country is young. When children are young, they act out. Sometimes, toddlers are outright bad, hence the term ‘terrible twos’ or my favorite, ‘torturous threes’. Personally, I think our country needs more than a ‘time-out’, we need to receive direction and be accountable for our actions.

The sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel talks about the sin of Jerusalem. They had played the harlot and God was not pleased. He was angry. As I read the chapter I could see a similarity to our country. I prayed for our country for a return to God. To see a revival in this country.

The last part of the 16th chapter talks of God’s covenant with His people. His forgiveness. The shame of His people. “Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember with shame all the evil you have done. I will make your sisters, Samaria and Sodom, to be your daughters, even though they are not part of our covenant. 62 And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63 You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

May we, this long weekend leading up to the celebration of our country turn to God and away from the shame of our sins.

Yes, this is different from what I normally post, but, this is close to my heart. I love my country with an unending love. I am a proud American. I long for the day to come when, once more, we live by what our Founding Fathers lived by.

Prayer for My Country

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“God-devotion makes a country strong; God-avoidance leaves people weak.” Proverbs 14:34 (MSG)

Dear Father, You led people here to establish a country for themselves. It has been a country that has given a safe haven for many. People see in the foundations of my country a place to worship freely without fear or fear of harm. People see this place as a place of opportunity, to pursue their God-given rights.

Father, lead this country back to You. May we drop to our knees and beg forgiveness of what we have allowed our homes to become. Forgive us for taking for granted what You alone have provided here. Turn us back, and lead us.

As we approach our Independence Day celebrations, let us remember what this country was founded and built on. Let us recall how many put their lives on the line to provide us with safety and security and freedom.

Let us truly be free in You, let us turn to You and You alone. Restore this country and restore this people. Amen