| Free At Last; Free At Last, Part 5: Freedom from a Drab and Boring Life |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Sunday, October 18 2009 00:00 |
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One of the most startling aspects of his transition from prison to the free world for my friend was the apprehension of color. For nearly five years his world was a mixture of shades of gray and white. When he walked into a fast-food restaurant and was confronted with color on the walls, he was shocked. Jesus promises in John 10:10 that he will grant life to the full. There is so much in Scripture about joy. It is a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and the subject of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Solomon has much to say about the blessing of God’s granting the ability to enjoy the gifts of life (as in Eccl. 5:19). All of this teaching points to a world of color for the Christian. We can safely say that Christ delivers us from the drabness of life into a dimension of brilliance. Of course, associated with the idea of the ability to enjoy life and find excitement in life rather than drabness and boredom is the concept of meaning in life. It is because we see the meaning and overall purpose in life that we can enjoy all that God gives us and find joy and excitement in everyday living. So we may add that Christ delivers us from a purpose-less life into a life of meaning. Rick Warren is well known for his book The Purpose Driven Life. He makes some good points, but I prefer not to describe the Christian life in any way as “driven.” It is a life shaped by the cross of Christ and given meaning and purpose because we are delivered and redeemed from all the forces that would deprive life of meaning. We are delivered from the fear of death, the grip of sin, the fear of failure, and all other kinds of fear, as we saw in last week’s devotional. As people endowed with hope, we are now free to enjoy God and all He gives us. Our purpose becomes the glorification of God and the attempt to bless the people around us. The next time we are tempted to use the expression “I am bored,” we need to think seriously about what we have in Christ. Perhaps we need to pray that we can understand the dimensions of God’s love for us and what Christ has really accomplished for us on the cross. We should give thanks for all we have, for all the people in our lives, for every new day God grants us and every night of peaceful sleep. We live in a world of color created by the grace and love of God for us, not in a prison of gray and white. Let’s enjoy it! |
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