FRANTIC LIVES: SAVED FROM and FOR

²⁹ But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. ³⁰ That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. ³¹ When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses. Ex. 14:29-31

 

Then God gave the people all these instructions:

² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

³ “You must not have any other god but me  Ex. 20:1-3

 

Can you imagine what it would be like to be born into slavery?  Not ever knowing what it means to live free?  Your parents, parents were slaves, and all you ever knew was being told what to do, when to do it, how to do it, when to eat, when to sleep.....and seeing friends, and family members treated harshly?   Some of which were killed by their masters for the most trivial of things.   Watching your mother or sisters sexually assaulted and being powerless to do anything, because you have watched what happens when someone rose up in opposition. 

 

The Israelites, God's chosen people, had chosen against GOD and found themselves under the heavy hand of Pharaoh serving many different gods, and after a turn of events Moses appears on the scene offering them something that they had only heard of, some dreamt of....freedom.  I don't know about you, but freedom would be scarier than being in captive, which is the mindset of some inmates that have been institutionalized over half of their lives.   They don't know what it means to pay bills, be responsible for their day, to exist in a society where someone isn't watching your every move and breathing down your neck....but GOD instructed Moses to lead his people out of captivity into FREEDOM, the wilderness and then into the promise land.

 

I don't know what prison you have been in...but is it possible that you have to, developed an institutional mindset about being FREE from:  DRUGS, ALCOHOL, PORN, CUTTING, LYING, STEALING, PHYSICAL/VERBAL/MENTAL/EMOTIONAL/SEXUAL ABUSE, ETC....whatever it is GOD offers each of us FREEDOM because HIS SON JESUS CHRIST paid that debt, and wants you  in a right relationship with the FATHER.  But GOD didn't whisk the Israelites across the RED SEA...they had to WALK, and upon them taking those steps of faith...HE KNEW THEY HAD NO IDEA about what it meant to be FREE, so He blessed Moses with the Commandments, and the first of them was HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME!

See what GOD wanted them to remember was that HE was the ONE who saved them from another year, another decade, another generation of slavery.   The purpose in freeing them, and bringing them into the WILDERNESS was JUST SO that before bringing them into the PROMISE LAND was so that they'd develop a WORSHIPFUL LOVE RELATIONSHIP with the very ONE that delivered them.   The same applies to each of us....HE OFFERS FREEDOM in JESUS CHRIST if we'd take a few steps of FAITH in HIS direction.   Some of us have been so accustomed to being enslaved to ___________________________ (also known as other gods) that we have hesitated at the opportunity to be free.

 

So each day that we are graced to see.....There is an open door that GOD offers to us all, and if you really desire to be free....STEP ONE after taking that walk is making sure that GOD is FIRST!  LGLP

PREQUEL: HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. ² For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. ³ They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. ⁴ They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. ⁵ They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!  2Tim. 3:1-5

 

 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what word (the first one) that comes to mind when you look at this one?  This is a screenshot from the movie "Gravity" featuring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and while I have not yet seen the movie, I can tell you I'd like to....and the word that comes to mind for is fear, or panic, or a canned phrase..."Houston we have a problem...!" The actual quote from Captain James Lovell aboard the Apollo 13 was "Houston we've had a problem..." which is different than the present tense phrasing.  The actual quote suggests that little things have been going wrong for a while, and now it's reached it's critical mass.

 

The Apostle Paul had mentored/disciple a young pastor Timothy and in his second letter to him he felt compelled to inform him of a problem that was up ahead.  There would be people that essentially were posers....impostors (he said they'd act religious).   We are currently living in the times, and have been for decades, even generations of our cultural times worsening.  Just go down the list of thing Paul referenced and you may not have to look further than your own home, your own family or across the county.....but they are real, present, and palpable so what are we to do?   One of THE MOST frustrating things as follower of Christ is when I see other followers of Christ MAD, ANGRY at the WORLD for acting like the WORLD.  We have the tendency to EXPECT people who clearly don't know CHRIST or His principles to govern themselves like we are supposed to.  Yes, I said like we are supposed to because we are too busy ridiculing, brow beating, Bible thumping the lost instead of actually loving them as we are actually commanded to.

 

So both phrasings work....."We've had a problem and We have a problem..." So what are we to do?  We got people in love with themselves and their money.   They laugh at God and make fun at those that believe in such.  We have (and also ourselves are)  disobedient/ungrateful children (young and grown).   We consider nothing sacred (Sabbath....let's just start there).  We/They can be unloving and unforgiving to the point of terminating relationships (so glad Christ didn't and doesn't terminate our relationship with Him).  We/They slander others (check your twitter feeds, and Facebook shares and rants...grow up!  By the way the grow up was to the said believers.....Christ wouldn't post that...so don't think He gets any glory from yours.)  We/They have no self control......(Christmas....over spent did ya?  Had to much to drink on New Years?  You fill in the excess blank......) and the list goes on and on.......so what is one to do that is a believer?  SO GLAD YOU ASKED:

 

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. ¹² Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.  1Thess. 4:11-12

 

Over the next few days I want to walk through what our response as a group of followers of Christ should be regarding the current state of affairs.....with our first being that our Ambition/Goal should be to live a quiet life by: 

 

 1) MINDING OUR OWN LIFE (BUSINESS)!

 

Now before you think I am remotely encouraging or suggesting you clam up, take refuge in ignoring those outside of your property address.....I am SO NOT!  What I am though saying is spend less time (to NO TIME) criticizing OBAMACARE (Affordable Health Care if I'm honoring), Your unsaved ______________________ (uh they are a child of GOD too, even if they don't know it yet...that's where you come in.), the Gov't  (don't like ours.....move) ....etc. etc.....but rather make sure as for you and your house.........YOU ARE SERVING  (maybe you  didn't hear me YOU ACTUALLY ARE SERVING THE LORD, not yourselves)  THE LORD. 

 

Start with you....is JESUS really LORD of your life?  How do you know that He is.....simple:  Do you do WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS DO?  Are you a TITHER?  DO YOU SEEK/ATTEMPT TO ACCOMPLISH THE GREAT COMMANDMENT & GREAT COMMISSION DAILY?  These are just a few.....but probably biggest because TRUST is key to the success in any of them.   If you don't trust Him with your money or your life, then He's really not your LORD.  So before you attempt to criticize all of the things you are FREE TO......check yourself first, then check your home.....between the two there should be a enough grace to deal with, oops....LOVE those outside of your home.   LGLP2014