Feeling the Tug

Ever since Spring of '10 I have been in love with travel. I enjoy seeing new places and being in cultures unfamiliar to me, and in the time of my college career I was blessed with many opportunities to go abroad and visit lands outside my own. I miss those opportunities, but have sought to make the most of what I have now here in my homeland, which I have missed and loved returning to. I found, however, that I can't escape the desire to travel and have new experiences. This, I believe, primarily comes out of having been changed and molded by my travels. I have seen greater change in my life and have been challenged by my surroundings and by people in my travels. I long for that again.

I believe that the time has come to begin actually doing something about my situation and my life, that I begin meeting new people and having adventures and new experiences. I have been incredibly blessed with gifts, talents, and desires, and even more so that I have become tied down by a relationship and, therefore, have no true responsibilities to anyone outside of paying off a few minor debts. This past year I have allowed myself to feel overwhelmed and enslaved by those said debts and by the expectations and beliefs of others, but that is an unhealthy and unreasonable way to live. I am free and should be living as such.

In my liberty to choose my life and my next steps, and trusting that God is guiding my will by the transformative work of His Spirit, I will do what is necessary to do what I desire to do and discover more of the world and of myself. I need to stop selling myself short and not being being the leader that I am just because of false self-talk and and because of I am putting myself down or letting people put me down or control me. It is unacceptable and dishonorable to God who made me who I am and has guided me through life to this point. He did not give me desires and gifts to be buried in the dirt, but instead to be used and invested in the world. In this I have failed greatly.

My soul screams out the pain of loss and realization, but also in joy that truth prevails and I can step out of my current situation stronger than ever and overcome the lingering shadows of sin and soul-enslavement. I have set boundaries on my life that diminish my ability to act and I have not set proper boundaries for humanity, and where I have set boundaries I have failed to defend them from intruders that barge through.

I have let time and opportunity slip by because of foolishness and bowing to the whims and perceived thoughts of others. I have feared humanity more than I have God and as a result I have become enslaved to humanity, to the philosophies and expectations of my parents, and to the broken culture that I dwell in. I am the one at fault. Through Christ who liberated me and gave me His Holy Spirit, I can break free of the darkness of my fears; I enjoy His creation and His presence forever and ever and go into the world.


Grace and peace,

Stephen

"Why not?!"

Everyone knows that Christians are just weird conservatives who just like imposing their rules and stupid regulations on others. I mean, that IS what they are right? Just a bunch of rules...stupid things that make no sense and are just "anti-fun"! Why in Jupiter would I want to follow these rules?


This seems to be the mindset of many people I have interacted with over the years, including some of the youth that I've had the privilege of serving these last several years. Some even find the law and salvation to be contradictory in the Bible. I had one of my most beloved youth once say to me that he knows that "the Bible says that if you believe in Jesus you will be saved, but as I keep looking I see more and more rules and restraints" and somehow this causes tension for him. There are many who want salvation without rules, and many say that they can not see how we are saved if we still have to follow rules. 


The first error is a misunderstanding of salvation, and the second is a misunderstanding of the "law".

According to scripture, salvation is Christ redeeming us from the bondage of sin and from the "curse of the law." It is the bestowing of grace form the hand of a sovereign God to His non-sovereign, yet free-will enabled, creation. Salvation is given to the elected humanity that respond to the Spirit of God as He calls him or her out of darkness.

The law of God is another situation altogether. The "law" seems harsh, difficult, and even contradictory to the doctrine of grace and salvation. To those who stand on the outside looking in, or simply have a misunderstanding of the law, it is cruel and stands like jagged spires waiting to shred the souls of all who dare draw close. Yet, to those who have been graced with salvation and draw near to the goodness of God, the law encircles the mind, heart, and soul of the believer and provides a place of shelter and rest.

We follow the law because ultimately sin will destroy us. Sin is contrary to our original design and is contrary to the divine nature of God. We do not sin because God said so, but He did not just instate rules and regulations to "suck away our fun." He did it for our protection, our prosperity, and our health physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The "Ten Commandments" alone provide regulations for society and for economic growth. Theft, envy, and lying will break down any economic system and lead to suffering. Socially, the same three cause suffering and break down community due to lack of trust. Common sense tells us that worshiping God and ONLY God will foster spiritual growth and a closeness to God almighty. Not a single law that is given is done so without a purpose or meaning, and as gentiles living under the New Covenant we are awakened to the beauty of the "Spirit of the law" as opposed to the "Letter of the law." We must be awakened to the freeing power of the law for us as believers.


Freedom is not living with the complete lack of rules and regulations, but instead it is living within the rules and regulations that fit with the persons nature and provide liberty. For those who are non-redeemed, the law does not provide liberty because their nature is tainted and flawed by sin; therefore, they hate the law and are unable to fulfill the law, for it seems impossible, cold, and as if it desires to destroy all "pleasure" and "fun" in one's life. For us who are experiencing the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, our natures are being restored and we can, therefore, live in the joy, peace, and rest that the law instills within us.