Here in Ethiopia, I quietly put on my red, white and blue. I listened to Whitney Houston’s famous rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at one of the Super Bowls, and lit some sparklers. I’ve always been proud to be an American, even with our struggles in recent days, my patriotism remains.
I remember growing up largely feeling “free” in the USA. Independence days, July 4ths, were
spent at the lake, boating, grilling out, watching fireworks and parades,
celebrating life and freedom.
I didn’t understand then what I understand now about
freedom- its cost and its responsibility.
What is freedom? Are you free? Who gives freedom?
I often ask my students those questions here in Ethiopia
and get varied responses.
In reflection about freedom, I see God as the GREATEST
GIVER of freedom and He is the GREATEST FREEDOM FIGHTER.
GOD- The Great
Giver of Freedom.
God made people unique. We’re different than anything
else He made. We’re created in His image. We can think, build, dream, and love.
And He gave us freedom to choose, we can live for Him and with Him or not. He
desired voluntary devotion. He didn’t want a people ordered to love Him. He
wanted them to choose to. We’re like Him
in that. We want people to like us or love us not because they’re obligated to
or are made to, but because they genuinely want to.
Yet God giving people that freedom had a COST. Many chose
and continue to choose to live apart from God. Thus sin and brokenness have
become part of His world.
He gave us His Word to help - His original plan for all- relationships,
money, wisdom, raising children, empowering church leadership, sharing about
Him. There’s also warning and wisdom on temptation, conflict, poverty, apathy,
so much. All kinds of stories through time of how people followed God well or
not well and what we can learn from those. He gave us all we need to know. He gave
us this information to help us, NOT to limit us, but to FREE us to experience
the best life, the fullest life possible. For outside of His original plan-
there is the loss of His protection. And
that is where there is insecurity, destruction, even death.
Giving us freedom also cost God the life of His Son. The
sin and brokenness that became part of our lineage destined us to eternal
separation from God. We had a penalty for sin that we couldn’t pay. Not enough
fasting or bowing or serving could get us in good with God or pay the penalty
for our sin.
Something had to die for our sin for the wages of sin is
death. A perfect sacrifice was needed- and God gave part of himself to FREE us
for all time from condemnation and separation from God. We can now approach God
freely and with confidence because our sin penalty has been paid if we accept
this gift from Jesus.
John 3:16
For God so loved
the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not
perish but have eternal life.
Galatians 5:1
For freedom, Christ
has set us free, …
Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Him He
set me free from the law of sin and death…
Hebrews 4: 14-16
Therefore, since we
have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high
priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has
been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin. Let us then
approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of need.
Yet, we are not free from the consequences or
temptation of sin- those remain. Sin
cannot eternally separate us from God if we have Jesus, but sinning or
continuing to sin has consequences, painful ones.
Thus, our freedom has responsibility. We can conquer, we
can resist, we can live lives that honor God. He even sent His Spirit to help
us. But often we take our freedom and the life we’ve been given and don’t offer
those back to God in thanks. We do what we want. Often not fulfilling our
potential and missing the chance to experience life with God. We also make a
mess of things, honestly speaking. And we often look more shackled and
imprisoned than ever before.
Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ
has set us free; stand firm then and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery
Galatians 5:7
You were running a
good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
Galatians 5:13
You were called to
be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather
serve one another in love.
But we don’t have to live that way, shackled, insecure. May God help us realize and walk in the
freedom we’ve been given.
GOD- The
Ultimate Freedom Fighter- I also see God as the ultimate freedom
fighter because He alone can liberate and He chooses to.
And He’s calling, us, His family to also go into the
world and share about the freedom He gives ….
Isaiah 61:1-2
The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the
poor; He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and to open prisons for those who are bound… to comfort all those who
mourn, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair…
Matthew 28:18-20
Therefore, go and
make disciples of all nations….
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so
shine before men …
Are we sharing this good news about the freedom God
gives?
God brought two “freedoms” to my mind the past few weeks
that He’s been challenging me about.
One is….
FREEDOM to PARTNER
I have freedom to partner with God on the journey, thanks
to Jesus. I don’t have to go through life alone.
Now in America, from an early age, we’re taught self-
leadership, self- reliance. Do it yourself. God says- you’re free to do that- BUT – I offer you
partnership with me.
John 15:15
I no longer call
you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I
have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have
made know to you.
And not just friendship- but God offers us His leadership.
We can trust His original plan, and the way He leads us to go. God says I don’t
do this to limit you, but to free you to really live. Remain with me,
partner with me, let me lead.
John 15
Remain in me and I
will remain in you, apart from me you can do nothing.
Isaiah 58:11
The Lord will guide
you always; He will satisfy your needs …and will strengthen your frame. You
will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Yet, we often go it on our own. Or we partner with the
wrong things or people.
Partnership with God is an incredible privilege!!! May we go through life with God, His love and
His leadership over us!!!
There’s another freedom God brought to mind this past
week……………………
Sometimes here in Ethiopia, I think about how it would be
to maybe be invisible. I think about how
freeing it would be to walk down the street without people staring or asking me
for something.
Well the other day, I had the reverse feeling. Some
students saw me come in and they only gave a casual acknowledgment that I was
there, for whatever reason, I felt largely invisible to them. And it made my
heart feel very sad.
We’re often taught that love acknowledges, seeks out, pursues.
When one is captivated, it drives you to seek that thing or person out. Your
free time pulls you that direction. It’s often said you can tell what you love
or cherish by what you give your time to, your focus and attention towards.
When all goes still and quiet- where do your thoughts drift? You acknowledge in a special way one who has your
heart.
So many times I get busy and often don’t pursue or seek
out those who matter- to see how they are.
And that might be painful for them. I was thinking about that when I
felt a heavy conviction fill me this past week because I heard God say… -Holly, I
know how you felt that day. You often give that casual acknowledgement TO
ME, you don’t pursue me. Some days- you
only glance my way quickly, or you wave only in passing. You start your quiet
time but don’t finish. Much like the lines
you pass everyday of people waiting, I’m waiting to be with you. I’m trying to
get your attention. Where is your pursuit of me? Ouch
We have freedom to pursue God and He wants, desires, that
pursuit from us.
FREEDOM to PURSUE
God wants us to seek Him, and to know Him- deeply. And we
can!!! It’s amazing to me that this is
true. We can walk and talk with God through life. He desires that pursuit. He deserves it!!!!
No one can satisfy like Him, No one can mend, restore,
renew, heal, stretch, strengthen, empower, encourage, direct, love you like
God!
Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Psalm 9:10
Those who know your
name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
As we continue in our lives, may we remember freedom has
a cost and a responsibility.
God gave us life and freedom as a gift, what we do with
our life and that freedom is our gift back to God.
Will we honor Him with how we live? Will we partner with
Him, not just be a friend of Him, but to live in obedience of His leadership? He
can be trusted!!!
Will we share His freedom in the hard places in the world
to help liberate those still in darkness, as He leads us?
This could be on the back streets of North Korea or in
refugee camps in Sudan, or in the war torn areas of Syria or in the high rises
of New York. This could in the public universities in Ethiopia or in the middle
schools of America, or even in the churches of America, there are many there
who still sit in darkness.
Wherever it is, wherever God calls us to go and be, will
we partner with Him to share His freedom?
And will you pursue God? He deserves more than casual
acknowledgment!!!!
We often get distracted and pursue other things- money,
relationships, beauty, fame. Those will never satisfy. May He be our first pursuit,
and our deepest heart’s desire!
Isaiah 55:2
Why spend money on
what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
John 4:13
Whoever drinks the
water I give will never thirst again.
Lamentations
3:22-24
Because of the Lord’s
great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new
every morning. Great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my
portion, therefore I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is
in Him, to the One who seeks Him.”
Please pray for my partnership with God and His
leadership of my life and that my pursuit of Him will be my heart’s biggest desire.
Onward!
Prayer Requests
-We are in final exam time at Hope College, and I’m
wrapping up grades for my 200 or so students. Please pray a good finish for them
as exams are for one more week.
-I hope to be stateside for a few weeks at the end of
July into early August. Please pray for
that as plans come together- that my time at home will be a restful break and that I can enjoy time with parents and sister. I hope
to see many of you! Thank you so much for those who gave for that!
-My sister is now stateside from South Sudan. We thank
God for keeping her safe as she was based there the last several months. Please
keep her in prayer as she has meetings with our church about strategy for the
way ahead in our project areas.
-Please keep this part of the world in your prayers, God
is work and His freedom needs shared.
