Liberty part 3
We are free to love--because we ARE loved--and that makes us free to live. That's our liberty. That's why there is liberty where the Spirit of the Lord is. His love empowers us to love. His life, in us and through us and as us, is what empowers us to live. Look at what Jesus said when speaking of the Spirit, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath annointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19). THIS is what it means to truly be alive. To be dead to sin and alive to God. See, when you think you don't have something your focus is on yourself. Filling that void. But when you know what you've got--when you know that you have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness, and you have been blessed with all Spiritual blessings--then you can stop worrying about yourself and you can start taking care of others. I've really been finding myself in this position lately: I don't want anything from anybody. I don't want anybody to feel obligated to do anything, or give anything, to me. And that is SO freeing. Because it takes a lot of expectations out of the equation. Instead of, "I'll scratch your back in the hopes that you scratch mine," (which is a set-up for disappointment) I can scratch your back because it's itchy. Instead of trying to give in order to get... I can give because I have. I'm blown away by the truth in Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." When we had nothing to give... He gave it all. He gave His life for us and He gave His life to us. He died so we could die and He rose again so we could rise again! He broke the yoke that was dragging us down. He freed us from the bondage of sin and death. Not because we "deserved" it, or had earned it... but simply because He loved us. And now, because of the Spirit--because we can finally receive, and know, and believe that love--we can love in the same way. We can do for others without expectation. We can stop trying to get something, and simply share what we've already got. We don't have to fend for ourselves, or be afraid to lose what we've got. Because what we've got is never ending. It's abundant. It's everlasting. It's eternal. And the more we use it, the more it grows. I guess I'm saying we don't have to be afraid. We don't have to be afraid to love--which is to say we don't have to be afraid to live. Because, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:18-19). His love is where our love comes from. And because we are connected to the source, what we have will never run out. So we can give it and give it and give it. We can live it and live it and live it. We can love and love and love! Because we're free. Because where His Spirit is, there is liberty!