Free for what?

1 Peter 2:15-16

(NKJV) "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God."

(ESV) "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."

Well I must say this verse hit home with me. I am free, you are free, God gave every one of us free will. Once we've surrendered our lives to Christ we have a responsibility to use our freedom in a positive manner. As Paul said, it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. By choosing to live for Jesus we sacrifice certain things.

I know that I took advantage of God's grace many times in the last few months. You know that feeling when you're in the car on your way to go somewhere, see someone, do something you know isn't going to honor God? It might not necessarily be that you're "sinning", but you know it's probably not the best decision you could make...well I've been there! We all have. You do something even though you know you shouldn't. I sinned knowing God would forgive me the moment I asked him to, and that's exactly what we shouldn't do! Jesus sacrificed everything so we could be free to have relationship with him, not as an excuse for us to do whatever we want whenever we want because we know he'll forgive us. We've been instructed in this verse (1 Peter 2:16) to use our free will to do God's will--how are you going to use your free will?

Now what exactly is God's will? That's a common question and it can actually create a fear in us that inhibits us from moving forward. It's terrifying to take a step forward when you don't even know if you're going the right direction. God speaks to us various ways, but the most reliable avenue of communication is His Word. Instead of just asking God what his will is for you, why don't you start out by looking at what the Bible has to say about it? The two greatest commandments are to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. When you go back to the basics and you do what God's will is for every one of us, he will begin to show you what his more specific will is for you. Ultimately, it's all about relationship.

Judah Smith spoke tonight at United Night at UG, and he talked about how Jesus is the point of everything. Jesus is the manifestation of the glory of God. Sometimes as Christians we try to look beyond Jesus for something that will fill us, satisfy us. We ask for God's presence, his glory, his power, his healing, his attention...but all we should be asking for is his essence. We should be desperate to know God, not only to feel him.

We are free so that we may know him who made us so. God isn't going to force you to love him, he's not going to make you seek him. His desire is that you would want to know him. And that's what I want to be able to say on judgement day, that I sought the heart of the Lord and my deepest desire was to know him. What do you want God to say to you on judgement day?

Faith.Hope.Love.

Chelsea Rae