Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Obedience and Freedom

   Reading through a little book by Frederick Buechner, organized like an encyclopedia of topics on faith, I came across an entry for Obedience. It simply said, see Freedom. Going to that entry I found:

Freedom:  We have freedom to the degree that the master whom we obey grants it to us in return for our obedience. We do well to choose a master in terms of how much freedom we get for how much obedience. 

When we follow God, that Master is love. Buechner goes on to say in his definition of Freedom,

...to obey Love itself, which above all else wishes us well, leaves us the freedom to be the best and gladdest that we have it in us to become. The only freedom Love denies us is the freedom to destroy ourselves ultimately.

What a timely word. Still alive, Buechner will turn 90 years old in two weeks. I don't have any reason to think that he was thinking about the Fourth of July. Yet, the truth is the freedom we celebrate this weekend, won through the heroes who volunteered to serve and sacrifice for our country, points us back to the God who has created us free. May we respond to the freedom that God has given to us with obedience to him.
   Grace and peace, Scott

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   I don't hear anyone these days saying, "Turn up the heat?" But, what if God allowed that very thing to happen? It happened for Jesus; after spending forty days in the wilderness, hungry, tired and miles from his home, Satan arrives to test Jesus. On most days most adults can resist most temptations. What about on our worst days? And, what is the worst that the devil can throw at us? 
   Join us in worship July 10, 17 and 24 to learn how to beat the flames of "you know where".

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