Simple grace. Simple faith. Amazing Love. Sound dangerous? Absolutely.
If you love God this is the place for you. If you are seeking truth, welcome to the journey. If you are searching for meaning, let us seek it together and find it in Jesus Christ.
It really is sobering watching the events around the world right now. Times are frightening not only because of the evils man can commit against his neighbor, but also because of what man can do nothing to prevent, such as an Earthquake in Japan and subsequent tsunami whose effect is felt all the way over here in San Diego. We are certainly much smaller and more vulnerable than we would like to admit.
May we take this time to hope in the God who is above this world. The Almighty who is unshakeable in His power, unchanging in His purpose, and utterly relentless in His good plans for all who come to Him through Jesus.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)
You may, dear reader, be wondering exactly what I mean. Let me continue with further questioning.
Are you free from the ruthless demands of the world? Demands that scream performance for satisfaction? Performance for identity? Performance for status? Are you free from self hatred? A hatred that demands perfection in performance or an ever changing identity wrapped in the lies of what culture says is relevant?
Are you free from the dark, gloomy hold of sin? A hold that keeps bringing you to decisions made that lead to nothing but gloom and emptiness?
Are you free from the search for purpose? A purpose found not in what you do, but in you are?
Are you satisfied with your life, or have you yet to be set free from the search for satisfaction? Are you content? Have you found meaning? How many vain choices have you made thinking that they would lead to you fulfillment? How long will you keep looking to those choices to bring you the peace that you so long for?
Are you truly free? Think hard. Denial will only be disservice.
The rancid waters of this world wreak their havoc on us all. We are born into bondage of a terrible beast known as sin that controls us, forcing us to hate and not love, to take and not give, and to make gods out of everything but God Himself. But there is much joy to be had because you, dear reader, have not found lasting satisfaction in anything yet. Yes, you have searched. Yes, you have come up short. We all have. And thank God for that.
Blaise Pascal was certainly on to something when he said, in essence, that there is a God shaped hole in all of us. Because of this, we can be sure to find contentment and fulfillment in nothing and no one other than Him. It is in Him that we find our heart’s greatest desire: freedom.
Jesus was and continues to be all about freedom. He healed people, freeing them from the bondage of physical troubles. He forgave people, freeing them from condemnation for the junk that they had done. He also pointed the way to a relationship with God, the very foundation for freedom.
I am a follower of Jesus and I am free, but I would be lying and making a fool of myself if I said that I have arrived at the total realization of my freedom. I still struggle. This world makes no easy way out for any of us, but God who loves has made it possible for an intimate relationship with Him. No, it will not be the end of chaos in our lives and it will certainly not be the immediate delivery of this world. But it will be peace, and the start of a new journey of discovering the one truth that we all long to know; that we are loved by God, and that we are significant.
I don’t know your story, and I certainly don’t know what your experience with God has been in your life, but I can say this: if it has done anything but free you, then it wasn’t God. To know how badly God wants freedom for His creation, one must look no further than a boy born in a manger who grew up to become the Savior who died for the world.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is the way to God, truth itself, and He gives life to all who come to Him through faith; real, true, and fulfilling life. Not a measly substitute as the world offers. Only real life can set us free.
Have you dared take a chance with Jesus? Are you even open to Him? I want to challenge you all, followers of Christ or not, to take a look at your life to see exactly how free you are. Are you where you want to be, or are there changes to be made?
It is all about Jesus. Our existence, our eternal destiny, and the health of our relationships with one another all depend on Him.
