7/5/12- The Day After Freedom

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Thoughts: Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, "We must all hang together or we will assuredly all hang separately."  
This is also a great principle of the Church.  United we stand, divided we fall.  Yet there are many who seek to divide the church in order to achieve their own ideal.  Our common enemy, evil and sin, is always lurking a the door- like a roaring lion looking to devour those who stray away.
    The Church is not a perfect place, nor a place where everyone agrees.  We put up with a lot in patience and love in order to further the kingdom of God.
     We must also adhere to our constitution- our basic document- the Bible.  To stray from this in the name of any ideal means our demise.  We have seen this in the Church for the last thirty years in America.  It is the truth that sets us free.  Ignoring the truth or skirting around the truth does not frees us- but traps us.  Covering up the truth and excusing untruths take much more energy than following the truth- keeping our eyes on the northern star- our true north- Jesus.  
     It is time to be honest with ourselves.         
It is time to get honest with Jesus- humbling ourselves before His truth- His person- His love.  In humbling ourselves we put up with each other and hang together. 


Prayer: Help us, O Lord, to balance a thirst for truth with grace and patience with each other.  Help us to know it is your truth that frees us, but it is patience with each other that preserves us.