I Can. I Should. I Will.

We've been talking all week about things we can do in Christ. Yesterday we were reminded that we have the freedom to do lots of things, but that doesn't mean we should do them all.

"I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV)

You know the old saying, "Just because you can doesn't mean you...should." Here are a few things to consider as you think about what you can, and should, do.

Can I...

...Love God with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength?

...First seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness, Be thankful for and content with what God has given me, work as for the LORD, and manage it all for HIs purposes?

...keep a sober mind so that I maintain self-control and conform my will to God’s?

...love my neighbor as myself, whether my neighbor is a brother or sister in Christ, simply another person, or my sworn enemy?

...speak only the truth and do it in love, making my words a gift that will build up the hearer into Christ who is the head of the church?

...trust God’s call to singleness, treating other people with all purity as a brother or a sister?

...trust God’s call to marriage, loving my spouse as Christ loved the Church and laid down his life for her?

...be sexually pure in my singleness, faithful in my marriage, enjoy only my spouse, and receive any children as a gift?

...bring up my children in the training and instruction of the LORD, without exasperating them, so that when they grow up they will not depart from it?

...grow in my faith and understanding of God, resist the devil, draw near to God walk with Him through the power of His Spirit that dwells in me?

...live this life so consistently that even those outside Christ’s church will see God at work, be drawn to Him, and begin walking with HIm as well?

"I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24 NIV)

How about you? Can you? Should you? Will you?

I Can Be Free

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. (1 Peter 2:16 NIV)

Freedom in our country is often misunderstood. We make freedom so high on the priority list that loving God and our neighbor comes lower on the list. Our motto becomes, "its all about me." The problem with this approach to freedom is obvious. True freedom comes because God sets us free. It's not all about me, it's all about God.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (Ephesians 6:11 NIV)

Freedom, even in this country, comes with a price. There are enemies of our freedom who want to do harm to people here. As such, we need to protect our citizens from these enemies. The same is true in God's Kingdom. Enemies of God want to harm people in God's Kingdom. We must learn to protect ourselves from these enemies.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

These attacks can be as subtle as mind-games. Thoughts can come into our minds that try to pull us away from God and God's design for our lives. We are tempted to listen to the enemy's lies as though they are truth. We consider giving up our freedom in Christ to become slaves to the burdens of sin again.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13 NIV)

How about you?  Do you pursue freedom from God or freedom with God?  Do you put on your armor to fight against spiritual enemies of this freedom?  Do you look for God's way out when you are tempted?  Do you use your freedom to serve one another humbly in love?  Are you free?

I Can Approach God

Even when we "come home" to the Father through the Son and receive the Holy Spirit, we can forget that God invites us to talk with Him. God enjoys spending time with us. He wants to hang out and talk about life. We can forget this. We can also forget that we're forgiven. The things that used to separate us from God are no longer there. We can go talk with God at any time.

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12 NIV)

We can not only forget that God wants to hang out and talk with us. We can also forget that God wants to help. Since God created all that is seen and unseen and still holds all things together, God can really help in all situations. God won't necessarily change your circumstances, but God will always give you the grace, wisdom, and strength to navigate the situation you are in. All we have to do is ask.

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)

So how about you? Do you approach God with freedom and confidence? Do you talk with Him in prayer? Do you receive God's mercy when you fail, and receive the grace to continue? Do you hang out with God?

I Can Come Home

Sometimes, when we think about our relationship with God, we can't imagine God wanting us around.  We never wanted God around us before.  Why should God want us around Him?  Maybe you did grow up learning about and walking with God, but you left.  Does God really want me back?

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. (John 3:16 NIV)

I remember one conversation I had when the man said to me, "Pete, I've done some really bad things in my life."  My response was simple, "That's why we need Jesus."  He just shook his head and said, "You don't understand.  I've done some really, really bad things."  The thing is: he didn't understand.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT)

No matter how bad our rebellion against God, Christ reconciles us with God.  We can come home through the work Jesus Christ did on the cross.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT)

Do you believe it?  Say it.  Tell God, "I want to come home. I believe you provided the way through your Son, Jesus."  Tell Jesus, "I want you to be Lord.  I want you to lead me from here on out."

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38 NIV)

Stop fighting and turn back to God.  Let go of the things that separate you from Him.  Go down into the waters of baptism where your sins are washed away.  Come out of the water knowing that your old self is gone and your new self is ready to walk together with God.  Need someone to baptize you?  Contact me.  God will provide someone close to you.  I will search with you.  Don't let anything stop you from coming home to God.

How about you?  Do you know you can come home to God?  Have you?  What stops you?

I Can Find Rest

Perhaps the most common statement I hear from people who are struggling against God is, "I can't." They hear about God's picture for their lives, but don't believe it is possible. They think about the way things have been, the way the world "really works" today, and give up before they even try. The result is that they are defeated before they get started. They "want" to walk with God, but they don't because they "can't." I thought it might be helpful to review a few things that God assures us we can do, because God gives us everything we need to do them. Here's the first one for this week:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

I can find rest with God.

The past several weeks has been a whirlwind of activity for Traci and me. The activity hasn't just been busyness. It's been emotionally and spiritually taxing as well. Our Cincinnati family and our Valparaiso Church-family has been illness, hospitalizations, surgeries, hospice, and death. Between the two, we have lost four people over the past two weeks - all unexpectedly.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29 NIV)

It is in times like these that I like to remember that God offers rest for my soul. The image of a yoke may seem strange for us today, but it would have made perfect sense for Jesus' audience in his day. A yoke simply connects two cattle together so they can pull the weight of a plow or anything else attached to the center of the yoke.  Each cattle pulls its fair share of the weight.

You may think to yourself, "I don't want any yoke at all!"  I want to free from any burden.  Our reality, though, is that we all carry burdens.  It's a reality of the world and the era in which we live.  The only question is, "Who is connected to your yoke?"  When the enemy is connected, he works against you, drags his feet, and adds to your burden.  Whatever he can do to make things more difficult or miserable for you, he will.  This becomes a yoke of slavery.  You can't break free and it is miserable.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

When we take on Jesus' yoke, we are not just taking a piece of wood from Jesus.  We are connecting ourselves to Jesus.  He is the other one connected to the yoke with us.  When he is connected, he stands strong.  He works hard.  He carries more than half the weight.  When we walk in step with him, the burden is even lighter because he is the stronger one of the two.  This makes the burden much lighter and the walk much easier, even when things get tough.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30 NIV)

How about you?  Which yoke do you carry?  Who is on the other side of that yoke?  Do you stay in step with him?  Can you tell the difference?