Strategic Freedom
By Patrick Roberts
If we are Christ's people, then we are driven by a pure as well
as purifying thirst to know Him more. We are in the business of
establishing God's kingdom on earth, the one cause which, the
world over, we can pursue with clear consciences, because God's
Spirit cleanses us and our consciences as we go.
With this in mind, Christ-saturated saints live well in Him and
spend well for Him apart from either excess or a lack of
possessions. They have learned from Christ how to utilize
earthly goods for heavenly benefit.
Therefore, with our heavenly goals in mind, as we strive onward
toward freedom in Christ, let us be strategically free from the
love of money.
Money might be useful to us who follow Christ, though in a
variety of unexpected ways. For example, we might perceive
spiritual usefulness in money only to the extent that we can
give it away unconditionally.
In any case, we are better off admiring men and women to the
extent that they resemble our Master, rather than for the
shininess of their possessions or how high they can stack them
if they put one on top of another. All these things amount to
rearranged dust, and to the dust they are already returning.
I wonder, with all our Biblical expertise and nice sounding
answers to life's major problems, why is there still such
slavery to money in the United States? By "slavery to money" I
mean daily dependence on money. Lovers of this life tend to be
enslaved to money whether or not they actually possess much of
it.
We become worshippers of money when it becomes our end for doing
anything or the underlying purpose for our existence. Anyone who
measures what they can or cannot do according to the amount of
money they possess is also a slave to money.
Depending on money is the same as loving it, even though it has
no worth in itself nor does it hold any power in itself. Though
money does not have any inherent power over people's lives, yet
countless souls, churched and unchurched, continually give
themselves over to it.
Money does exist, whether I like it or not, and Jesus speaks of
it like it will never go out of style. However, if you handed
Him a twenty dollar-bill, He would be unimpressed with the
pretty paper in itself. This paper has neither good nor evil
built into it. Money in general isn't evil in itself, that is,
until any sinful person gets a hold of it.
We westerners might scoff at people who bow down to metal, clay
or wood made into the form of statue. "How," we might ask,
"could grown adults let such silly, simple objects be master
over them? Certainly we are advanced far beyond this..." But we
are as bad if not worse, as we bow down to non-existent numbers
and slips of paper imprinted with the faces of dead men. Despite
our ridiculous shallowness, we still look at our advancements
and think, "Surely we are wiser than they!"
Do I worship a sandwich because it fills my stomach? No, it's
God who created all things, who is also the Source of every good
thing. Even more overwhelming than sandwiches is the grace He
affords me in Christ, in whom I have fullness and life and even
freedom from all that was emptying or killing me. Believing that
a sandwich will save me from starvation is as absurd as
declaring that I will, indisputably, live another day. The truth
is that no one has any inherent right to live another day, but
rather it is to God's credit that we have any life at all. Nor,
for that matter, do we have any right to a cushy lifestyle,
intellectual prowess or worldly respect. But rather, we who
follow Christ are free to embrace God's divine right to give or
take these things away.
The sad truth is that we have all committed horrifying crimes
against God and therefore we have also forfeited all semblance
of entitlement. Even more striking is the fact that, even if we
were perfectly sinless, we would still only live or breathe by
the grace of God. No matter how perfect we may seem, we will
continue to depend on Him for daily life and breath. If we
really were sinless, then we would understand this better.
However, because of God's amazing patience with us, we sinful
people have the distinguished opportunity to fall down on our
faces in desperation before the Lord.
No matter my lot in life, with whatever God gives me, I will
seek and obey Him. Do I have a voice? Then I will sing, I will
pray out loud with my spiritual family, I will teach, I will
encourage others, and I will preach the gospel. And if I fall
sick, and my voice fades away, then I will pray and serve other
people just as well in the Spirit, remembering that God knows
what I am able to do. Should I become debilitated in any way, I
should praise Him still because He is pleased with a heart of
obedience rather than the outward form of things. Christ renews
our ability to live well and obey Him apart from any excess or
lack of abilities, possessions or will-power. We are governed by
grace and not by any earthly force.
But this, friends, is basic. It is acceptable to any childlike
faith, that every situation offers unique opportunities to
worship God.
Patrick is an average Christ-seeker. His goal is to turn people
to Jesus Christ.
Find additional resources at
www.BooksByPatrick.com and www.KoGmedia.com
