Freedom from the sneakiest chains

So, last night was interesting and very encouraging and refreshing. We have some friends here (okay they are our only good friends here) who moved out here at the same time (a year ago) and now Dan works for them. . . God has been doing some very cool things in their thinking in this last year. And last night while we were over at their house for supper we found ourselves in the midst of a truly meaningful conversation. It started when P shared how he has been trying so hard to get out of debt and yet he still managed to spend money on unnecessary luxuries and it was really getting him down. He would look at the tv he just spent a decent amount of money on and berate himself for buying it. We also discussed healthy eating and how hard it was to eat healthy and get fit. . . So, I start seeing quite clearly that yes, I do the same things (think the same things sometimes too) and basically it is so easy to feel like failures due to a lack of "self discipline"

Basically, he started bemoaning the fact that he felt so bound by this inability to get out of debt. It began to occur to me that he was under a law, an expectation (I know, I know, I am brilliant - ha ha). Dan went over and laid hands on him and silently prayed for him. After which I thought I would dare to bring up the fact that Jesus didn't say the same things that he was saying to himself ( such as, 'I am a failure' 'What an idiot. . ') So if Jesus wasn't saying that, why was he saying that to himself. In fact Jesus took the blame for all our selfish and vain and just plain dumb moves. Jesus wasn't berating him for not getting out of debt. In fact, Jesus was saying the opposite. He was telling him,'You are free. You are not a slave to debt. You are not a slave to tempting foods. . .' 'That is a lie!' It is so easy to focus our eyes on the cares and riches of this world who shout out in opposition to the freedom found in Jesus' FINISHED work. And that is what had been happening to P. He was being pounded down by looking at his inability to live "smartly and wisely as a christian should".

And it was so much fun to see a glimmer of revelation spark from his eyes. And to see the load that he had been carrying for so long to start to fall from his shoulders. And it was so fun for me to be reminded of this truth. That we didn't need to get all caught up in our actions again. That we are free and we do not have to live in this world according to the standards of most everyone else. That we are not bound by debt. Even if we presently owe money we don't have to take on the burden. We are free. We don't have to worry about money. He knows better than us what we have need of on this strange planet. He is not limited by our financial "woes". Neither then do we have to be. It is so much fun when we truly know who's hand we are really in!!! What a relief!