Follow part 2
"Where you lead, I will follow." To me, that's a pretty good prayer. Especially because it puts the emphasis where it belongs--on Jesus. It's on HIM to lead us where HE wants us to go. And, by the way, He's more than happy, willing, capable, and able to do so. He knows where we should go. He'll get us there. Whenever the people of Israel were "wandering" in the wilderness, what was really happening was God was leading them step by step in order to teach them, really, how to live. They had been slaves for over 400 years. They were moving into a radically different paradigm of life. That's a big part of what the Ten Commandments were all about. All of a sudden the people of Israel went from not being able to do anything except what their slave masters told them... to having total freedom. This is the same as--on this side of the cross--us coming out of the old and into the new. Coming out of death and into life. And, yes, there's an adjustment period. Some people will always test the boundaries. Some people will always try to see how far they can go. But that's not really freedom. That's looking for bondage. Freedom is knowing you can do anything, but knowing that you don't have to. Knowing you can do anything... and only doing the things that are good for you. 1 Corinthians 6:12, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." Just because you CAN do it doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. I think that's a lesson that needs to be learned. Or re-learned. And I think it comes from following Christ. Because He will never lead you anywhere you shouldn't go. Those who are led of the Spirit will be called (or identified as) the Son(s) of God. Letting the Spirit of truth lead and guide us into all truth is how we experience and enjoy the gift of God that we've been given. The gift of God which is eternal life. The truth which is "God is love and He loves you." That's where God is leading us--into the understanding of His love. This life, especially when you understand that "this life" is the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of God, is a never-ending journey into the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter is the heart. That's where the issue (love) of life flows from. That's where God is leading us; into HIS heart (beating with love in our chests). That love inside come out of us. That's true freedom. Not freedom TO sin, but freedom FROM sin. Freedom TO love because we know that we ARE loved. And when we know that we are loved... we know that we are love! It's not just what we do... it's who we are. God is love. As He is, so are we in this world. If God is love, and we have His heart, His Spirit, His name, His nature... that means WE are love. And when we know who we are, everything else flows from there. I said this yesterday, am I'm going to keep saying it: Obedience is a trust issue. If you trust God, and you know that He has your best interestes at heart--if you trust that He KNOWS what's best for you, and He KNOWS how to get you there--then you will have no trouble following where He leads!