Thursday, 1/31/19 – Discipleship: Freedom

Going in circles…

Yesterday I drove the new double lane roundabout in town. I had been on it as a passenger, but this was my first time driving it. Some months back the city of Fredericton created a website to educate folk on how to use it. The right of way rules of the roundabout are these:

• If turning left, you must enter the roundabout from the left lane;
• If turning right, you must enter the roundabout from the right lane;
• If traveling straight, you can enter the roundabout from either lane.

I followed these rules and driving it was not difficult at all. The roundabout works smoothly so long as everyone knows and follows the same right of way rules. Not so smooth though if each driver thinks s/he has a ‘right’ to take any lane they choose.

Many folk are like that when it comes to thinking they have a ‘right’ to do what they want.

“I’m ‘free’ to do what I want!” “You’re not the boss of me.” “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.” “Don’t tell me what to do.” “I’ve got my own truth!” But demanding one has a ‘right’ to gratify one’s lusts does not create a right where there isn’t one.

God has standards and we have fallen short of them. We do not have a right to snub our noses at Him, and disregard His laws and principles. What we call a ‘right’ is really an arrogance. Our free will enables us to do things that we have no right to do at all!

But in our fallenness we think these demands are declarations of freedom… freedom to do what we want. But the kind of freedom the believer in Christ has is not a freedom to do what one wants, rather it is a freedom to do what one ought.

The Christian knows there is a God and that He has requirements. The most rudimentary of these are the Ten Commandments. Ten things we are obliged to do, but cannot. The desire to do what we want gets in the way of doing what we ought.

But the Christian also knows that in yielding themselves to Christ He works within them, changing their desires, empowering their will, giving them ability to do what they ought.

“…for it is God who works in you to will and to act
in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phil. 2:13)

They also find that in that obedience there is a joy far greater than any self-satisfaction — and their life stops going in circles!

Press on…

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