Live Free or Die Hard

Amazingly, our LORD God’s first “command" to mankind was to be free! Adam was
free to eat from any tree in the garden. Before God ever commanded a “do not"?,
he commanded a “do"; allowing amazing freedom. So often, we think that God is
limiting our choices and “cramping" our style- when really, we are free. It is
only when we take our lives out from under the control and shelter of our Lord
that we experience death, imprisonment and slavery to sin. Psalm 119:30-32 I
have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to
your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your
commands, for you have set my heart free. This psalm so well captures the heart
we need, to live free. There is a sense of running free, a willingly obedient
man, fired up to walk with God, joyfully following and very eager. How are you
living- free or burdened? Guilty or grateful? When we understand God’s heart for
us to obey, we are free! Without understanding God’s heart, we are burdened, we
feel dead and trapped, guilty and condemned. God’s plan from the beginning has
been to set us free. Dig down deep in the Word of God and grow in your
convictions as to what God wants for us- then you will live and feel free. Jesus
taught just the same as his Father: John 8:31-37 To the Jews who had believed
him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then
you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 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?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone
who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family,
but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free
indeed. We have to just love this- “FREE INDEED!"?

The other part of this scripture is very straightforward- “when you eat of it
you will surely die". No apologies or sentimentality from the creator of our
souls! He is serious about sin. Once God laid out the command to Adam, he
expected obedience (from gratefulness, honor and respect). Interestingly, Eve is
created after this encounter with God. She was not there during the giving of
the command, yet she knows the command Genesis 3:1-3. Adam had to have explained
it to her. Are you sharing the plans, commands and word of God with others? You
may be their only hope.

Sadly, Adam did not stick to his convictions and allowed Eve to be lead astray
and then hopelessly follows along with her! Are you holding to the teaching of
Jesus or letting others lead you astray? Has the hypocrisy and lukewarmness of
others or in yourself killed your convictions or is your faith as strong as
ever? You can tell from the actions (fruit) coming out of your life: John 15:1-8
and Galatians 5:22-25.

Isaiah 1:18-20 "Come now, let us reason together, "says the LORD." Though your
sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as
crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat
the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the
sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Unbelievably, our God is so patient and compassionate he is willing to reason
with us. Truly, he has the right to simply wipe us out- we deserve to die hard!
In this verse, our sins are described as scarlet and red as crimson. The analogy
is clear- irremovable stains of sin mark our souls. The early Europeans and
Mediterranean people used the eggs of an insect to die cloths in a deep red and
they used a deep purple or “scarlet" from shellfish. No matter how hard they
tried, there was no removing either of these colors. It is the same with our
sins- no matter what we try, in all our human strength; we cannot remove the
guilt and horrible stain of our sins. They are permanently embedded on our
souls. Only the hand of God in his great mercy can make us white as snow. Only
our Father is able to pardon and totally forgive. One of the saddest things I
have seen is to witness a disciple struggling with guilt and not feeling
forgiven. Sometimes it is simply a lack of faith in the Word of God and other
times it is true guilt from sin. Either way, we are asked to reason with God
until we are confident in his forgiveness. Quite possibly someone reading this
article is stuck in this way. You are called to seek after God with all your
heart- deal radically with any sin that is captivating you. Openly confess and
renounce it Ezekiel 14:6 and then faithfully trust the Lord. His heart is to
forgive.

Psalm 103:7-18 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of
Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in
love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does
not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as
high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear
him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our
transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD
has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he
remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes
like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place
remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is
with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–
with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

God’s heart is amazing and it humbles me- he has given the choice: live free or
die hard.
What will you choose? Thank God he remembers we are dust!

He stoops down to make us great,
Matt Sullivan