Saturday, June 30, 2018

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!



TRUE FREEDOM ISN’T INDEPENDENCE AT ALL … BUT RATHER A TOTAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD!  Allow me, please, to share something I wrote back in 1999 for our then-church family in my monthly, “Ponderings from the Pastor’s Wife”.  God brought a part of it to my mind yesterday, and I knew this would be my message to you, our now-church family!!  Here it is!

Morning will soon be dawning.  This is such a perfect time to think … to do some soul-searching.  I love the peace and solitude of the pre-dawn hours before the world awakens to its runaway schedules.  Nothing compares … especially when the only one to communicate with is the Lord Almighty – my Lord!  At this hour of the day (night?) I find God to be even more personal … I find Him to be even closer to me ~ no, I think it’s that I’m closer to Him.  Yet, amazingly enough, I find specific instances when I’m in the middle of the most demanding, hectic, noisy schedule, that He’s as close as He could ever be.  I find myself so aware of the presence of God, that I have to smile as I shake my head in amazement!  Sometimes, it’s His voice I hear ~ there’s no mistaking it!  Sometimes, it’s just an extra sense of being upheld and cradled in the palm of His hands ~ how reassuring it is!  And at other times, it’s something that happens ~ and I know that no other could have arranged such an occurrence at just that precise moment!  Just my Lord!

It’s like a TV commercial I saw the other night.  (Remember this is 1999!)  This man comes into a town and makes it his mission to “convert” all the townspeople over to his newly discovered brand of cellular phone … “the best there is,” according to him.  You can tell he really believes in his product, and he wants everyone else to have the same benefits he now knows about!  I was reminded how so often when I experience something deeper, something more precious, some eye-opener in my walk with the Lord, I just want to “drive into town” and “tell everyone” what I’ve discovered ~ that they need the best connection there is!  The best, being Jesus!

As our country’s celebration of the Fourth of July nears, our thoughts turn to freedom … Independence Day!  Just what does freedom really mean?  I remember growing up and some of the phrases I’d hear, like, “Your freedom ends where someone else’s begins” or “With freedom comes responsibility”.  You’ve most likely heard them, plus many others.  More and more, I’m realizing that true freedom isn’t independence at all, but rather a total dependence upon God.  And independence is actually when I insist on doing it my own way.  My moments of greatest freedom come at the times I’m most dependent on God for the answer, when I need Him the most to be my total Source.  Living that kind of lifestyle is comparatively much more exciting than attempting to find my own answers, trying to do it all in my own strength.

There’s a Disney children’s story that our sons all loved to have me read them when they were small.  It went something like this … A young sailor was swept onto shore during a storm at sea, and when he revived and awakened, he discovered he could not move.  Upon closer inspection, he soon discovered that his body was criss-crossed with dozens of ropes anchored to pegs in the beach.  A few more looks revealed to the sailor that his captors were tiny, miniature people frightened by his normal size – to them, he was huge.  For the first few days, the men stood guard; the women brought him bread and fruit.  The children were the first to lose their fear and to play near him, then they began to climb all over him.  Finally one day trust overcame their fear, and the little people of Lilliput cut the ropes and freed the “giant” stranger who had been washed to their shores.  And just in time … for pirate ships were appearing on the horizon, and the Lilliputians had no way to defend themselves.  King Lilliput climbed into the palm of the sailor’s hand, and the sailor walked out into the water.  At the command of the King, the sailor inhaled deeply and then blew the tiny pirate ships far away to the ends of the horizon!!  The country of Lilliput was safe … and the tiny people were glad they had freed the “huge” sailor who had become their friend and saved them, giving them freedom from their enemy!


Sometimes, in my own strength, I, too, get all wrapped up in “ropes” that strap me down.  Freedom escapes me.  I find myself “tied down” by this commitment and that appointment and this schedule and that deadline … ‘til I’m so criss-crossed with “ropes” that I’m prohibited from doing anything.  So now, when I start feeling the “constraints of captivity” ~ I run for the “scissors” to set myself free.  The other day I ran to Jesus … He’s got the scissors to cut me free, you know.  Actually, I crawled, because the ropes were getting quite constricting.  But when I got there, I just sat there at His feet for a while.  It was great!  At first, neither of us said anything.  He didn’t have to.  And I couldn’t.  In my frazzled condition, I just sat there and soaked in the warmth of His presence ~ it just felt good to be near Him.  I felt safe, secure.  I breathed in deep.  It was like I breathed Him right into me, and when I exhaled, the most incredible thing happened.  One of the ropes came loose and fell at my side.  I looked at Him.  He smiled at me.  I felt more cares melting away.  More ropes dropped away.  I sat there in His presence, still … for I don’t know how long.  He eyes turned to His Book.  I reached for it and gently, eagerly opened it.  Now He spoke to me, as I read.  It was like He had written these pages just for me.  How wondrous His scissors are!  Rope after rope was being cut away, ‘til I sat there, free to go.  I could move.  But I didn’t want to leave.  At least not for a while longer.  So I stayed longer, filling myself with all I’d need to face the “new rope tricks” out there.  This time, I prayed for discernment to recognize them, to take authority over them.  I prayed that no matter where I am, no matter what I have, that I will always be totally dependent on God … then I will truly be free!

The other day, before I ran to God for His scissors, I missed an important event.  Well, it could have been an important event.  I missed stopping at a lemonade stand with two little girls by the side of the street, and because the ropes were tightening so much, I didn’t feel free to take the time.  I’ve regretted it ever since.  I’m sure they didn’t miss my coins as much as I missed giving them and getting their sweet drink.  I lost that opportunity … but you can be sure I will stop at the next lemonade stand I see, ‘cuz I won’t have any ropes tying me down!  And if I feel any starting to strap me down again, I’ll just ask my Father to start snipping!

Are you feeling frazzled instead of free?  Then we need to learn to think like Him.  Peter, in his first book by his name, in chapter four, tells us this:  “Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like Him.  Think of your suffering as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way.  Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.  Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted.  Stay wide-awake in prayer.  Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.  Love makes up for practically anything.  Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless ~ cheerfully.  Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it:  if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help.  That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and He’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything ~ encores to the end of time.  Oh, yes!”  (The Message Bible – I Peter 4:1-2, 7-11)

Happy rope-cutting!  Celebrate your freedom, dear ones!

REMEMBER . . .

“Your Heavenly Father knows your needs.  He will always give you all you need from day to day …
For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”
~ Luke 12:30-32 (TLB)  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie




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