Posted on July 3, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Greatest Of All Time: The Best Freedom
By Bill McMurtrey
Have you ever walked away? Left something, or someone, or maybe a group of someones that made you feel good, because you knew God didn’t want you there? Or maybe you left all you knew and loved for "freedom" and "peace of mind"? If you’ve had to walk away you know that it is not easy. One of my favorite sayings is, "If it was good it wouldn’t be easy, and if it was easy it wouldn’t be good." I’ve been there, more than once.
When I left my career in law enforcement I thought I had found freedom. My position was high demand, with 60-70 hour work weeks the norm. I remember getting to go home after only working a 9 hour day and thinking man, is this nice! For a while, the career switch felt like freedom.
I had God in my life at that time. I would make it to church or a church event somehow, someway at least once a week. Even when I worked weekends…. God doesn’t take time off from us, so I don’t believe in taking time off from him. I didn’t hate the job. Actually, I loved it. It was more than just my calling. For that season of life it was my destiny
When I consider what the best freedom looks like in my life, I am taken back to this decision. As I made a hard choice, weighed the pros and cons, and prayed, God made it clear that he was inviting me to take a chance on him. To take a risk, lean in, and depend on him to be there for me. In this season, I learned in a deeper way that I could depend on God.
This story isn’t new, I’ve shared part of it before. What I may not have illustrated until now is that though I may have had God in my life I hadn’t given it all to him. I wasn’t fully depending on him, not because of the job or the hours, but because of me.
In this respect we are all the same. Until we give our plans, our jobs, our homes, our lives to God, we will struggle to be completely, utterly free.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: As you read this passage, consider what it would look like to live "free indeed". If freedom could be measured on a scale of 1-10, how would you mark your level of freedom today? Based on where you land, can you identify something that is getting in the way of you living fully free? How might you address, pray about or change that thing? What is one step you might take to increase your dependence on God?
{action idea}
If you want to practice increasing your dependence on God, join us for Day With Jesus, August 5 or 6. This is a self-guided time with a workbook we provide that is designed to help you spend extended time reading, pondering, praying and connecting with Jesus. We will kick off and wrap up on Zoom, and give you two hours on your own to work through the exercises. CLICK HERE for more information and to sign up.
{bible reading plan}
This month we are focusing on the many promises of God. Each day you will have the space to consider one promise, and how it has impacted your life, or could impact your life should you choose to follow Jesus. We’d love to hear from you and share in what we are all learning together. You can email us at story@heartlandchurch.org.
In your own words, rewrite this verse. If you were trying to describe the meaning of it to a friend who didn’t know Jesus, what words would you use? As you ponder this promise consider how you have experienced it in your life.
Rewrite this verse, but do so in a way that tells your story of forgiveness. How have you confessed, been forgiven, been made new? If you haven’t declared yourself a Jesus follower, what do you think is holding you back? Who could you share those questions or concerns with?
The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the son of God, and that when we give our lives to following him, we become part of his family. As a member of Jesus’ family, we are made truly free. Would you consider sharing your story of following Jesus and receiving that freedom this week?
I absolutely love the simplicity of this promise. You pray; I will listen. In it’s simplicity, it is incredibly powerful. Do I pray with the total confidence that God is listening? Take some time to jot down the things you have prayed that you know God heard, and thank him for that.
Take a moment and bullet list the actions and results described in this passage. Have you taken the actions ascribed to one who is "saved"? Why or why not? How about the actions in verse 10. On a scale of 1-10, where do you land in the realm of open declaration?
In this verse we hear of gifts, lights in heaven, and shadows. How have you encountered a God who "never changes or casts a shifting shadow"? If you have not yet encountered the constant reliability of God, how might you ask God to be constant for you?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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