Living Free

Thursday, 17 Apr 2003

I don't know where we're going
But I know we're on our way
I don't know where the road leads
But I know that each new day
Will be filled with great adventure
And wonders of this world
I know that God is with us
And it gives me such a thrill
To see His plan unfolding
As each new day arrives
To see He's in the details
Of each day of our lives
How wonderful His artwork
In fields filled with gold
Poppies in the sunlight
Mountains He did mold
The earth and all its beauty
Expressions of His love
We'll travel on, we'll soak it in
And be thankful for all He does
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Today we leave Lancaster for a few days in Paso Robles with friends. It has been a week of R&R for me, which I have loved. Jim has been working each day for Mountain Master, showing the truck that we bought from them. Great side-job that has allowed us this time away.

As we make our way to Paso Robles and then back to the Bay Area, we wonder where our next adventure will take us? It is a strange new world we have entered in to. One where we can hook up our home and take it wherever and whenever. Never needing to pack a suitcase or wonder if we have forgotten anything...it is all with us. In fact, a little too much. As we arrive back in the Bay Area next week, we will exchange a few of the things we loaded in for a few of the things we have left behind. We have not yet gotten everything sorted out, and our house is still for sale, so we are still in the transition time, but it is coming along.

Sometimes it is so hard to leave the past behind, and sometimes it is so good. Sometimes I wonder if it is the right thing, and most times I know that it is. Sometimes it seems so disrespectful of the past and of the life we once lived, but most times it seems much more of a blessing.

Just this week, we left Phil's dog with relatives. We wondered if she would travel with us into our future, or just how that would work. We took her up to Oregon with us on our first trip and she traveled so well. We enjoyed having her along, but we know that there will be times when it will not work out well to have her with us. This week being one of those times. In God's perfect way, in God's perfect timing, it turns out that my brother and his wife and their two daughters have fallen in love with her and want to keep her. We didn't know if it was really time, but as we thought about it, we knew that it was. We knew that if we held onto her for much longer, we would get used to the jingle she makes from her tags in our new home and having her in the back seat as we travel down the road. We knew that now is the time, the perfect time, for her to join a new family with children who will give her all the love and attention she craves. Even though our hearts are torn because it seems once again we are leaving a part of Phil behind, we know that he would be thrilled to know that his cousins are loving his dog so very much. We can visit her whenever we want, so that will be great.

It's funny when you get ready to get rid of everything, there are a few items that everyone seems interested in. We have a large mirror that has been asked for a few times, some furniture that grabs most people's attention, my Mustang has generated lots of interest, and then Phil's dog. She is a cute little miniature, long-haired Dachshund. She will be six years old the end of May, and she was the love of Phil's life. He was the dog lover in our house, although after getting Dackel (that's her name), we all fell in love with her. Phil knew that out of all of us, he loved her the most, and he was concerned about her should he die. He even asked me what we would do with her, and I told her that we would keep her. I didn't ever want him to think that she would just be given away to strangers, that is why I know he would be happy that his cousins will be enjoying her now. Phil loved children and dogs and I'm sure he's smiling down from heaven seeing them play together. His cousins have one of his hats and they put it on her the other day so she could smell Phil...I hope she did.

On we go, and where we stop, only God knows...

So Christ has really set us free.
Now make sure that you stay free, and
don't get tied up again to slavery to the law.
Galatians 5:1
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I've been reading a book this week about Christ living in us. It explains so well how impossible it is to live the Christian life because we are not Christ. Only Christ can live the Christian life and that is why He now lives in us. When He died and rose again, He conquered death, and when He sent the Holy Spirit to live in each one of us, He filled us with Himself. We are capable of nothing, but He is capable of everything. When we fail, it is expected. When we sin, He is not surprised. When we get weak and tired, He is our strength. This book has reminded me once again that the most important thing I can do each day is make myself available to Him. To let Him work through me and not to do it on my own.

How quickly we forget that. It is so important to be reminded of that daily. We get so caught up in ourselves, we start running ahead of God and we get so tired. We get worn out and overwhelmed so quickly, and if we are smart we keep running back to God and starting over. It is human nature to try and do it on our own, but that is not what God asks of us. He wants to do it through us.

That does not mean we sit around and do nothing. It means we look to Him each day and ask Him what He has for us to do. I have been relaxing a lot on this trip, reading a lot, praying a lot. Yesterday while reading, it seemed I should get busy and work at something. I asked God what He had for me to do. It wasn't any time at all and I was asleep in my chair. When I woke up, I laughed. Okay God, if that was what you had for me to do, that was fine with me. It felt great. It is rare that I take a nap during the day, but I believe that God knows I need this R & R right now. He doesn't want me to keep busy for busy-ness sake. He wants me to concentrate on Him.

When we were down-sizing our house, every day was busy. Each day I would ask God what project I should tackle on that day, and He eventually led me through every room of the house. Each room then being a mole hill, not a mountain. Each job getting done when it should. This is not to say that I didn't get tired, but I was not overwhelmed. It was a big job, but it got done at God's speed. He didn't have me working into the wee hours of the night. Usually, I was done by 4 or 5. Usually 4, because I like to watch "Trading Spaces." :) Could God really be concerned about something as simple as that? I like to think so, and why not? He is God! He knows all! He does care about the desires of our heart!

For you have been called to live in freedom -
not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature,
but freedom to serve one another in love.
Galatians 5:13
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How better to serve one another in love than to let the love of God fill us up each day and then go out and greet the world filled with Him? How else would that be possible? If we go out the door each day filled with ourselves, filled with our concerns and worries, filled with our stress....how do we serve one another in love? Pretty difficult, I'd say. And we wonder why there is road rage and shootings and arguments? That's pretty easy to figure out!

Oh, easy for me to say. I'm sitting here in our "HV", with not a care in the world. No children, no dog, no yard, no job to run off to today. (Thanks for filling in for me Kristen!) That's true...today. But not all days. We all know that there are times of rest in our lives, and times that are not so restful. We've all lived through both. But can we only find God on the restful ones when we have time for Him, or can we find Him on the busiest ones also? I believe so!

If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us
follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part
of our lives. Let us not become conceited,
or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.
Galatians 5:25-26
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"serving one another in love."

In this crazy world? It seems impossible, doesn't it? Just as impossible as living the Christian life, I'd say. How freeing to know that we don't have to, that Christ will do it for us. But we bundle ourselves up so tight, not letting Him in to do the work for us. We will do it on our own because we just don't have time right now to mess with God. We're busy!!

Think about the grand scope of things...think about God in the heavens and all around the earth. Think of His viewpoint on all of this. Think how puny our situations are to the God who created us. Think about His mighty power and wisdom and knowledge compared to ours. Think about the things in the past that we have worried ourselves sick about that we hardly give a second thought now. Think about someone you see on the street or in the office, or at the mall...watch them for a moment and think about God watching over their every step. About God knowing the thoughts going on in their minds. About how God knows every detail about them, the day they were born, the day they will die, and what their purpose is here. Think about them as they hurry along perhaps unaware of His presence...so unaware. We think so much of the time that this is all there is, and we get so caught up in the moment that we forget the big picture. We worry so much about the details that we forget who is really in charge. We think if we don't do it, it will never get done. We forget who we are working for and what His agenda might be because we are so busy making our own.

But what if...what if we stopped for a moment and asked God what He has for us. Tell Him that we are available to do whatever He is calling us to do, and what if He said, "Take a nap." Have we failed to be all that we can be, or have we just slowed down long enough to rest in Him. To realize that the world will keep spinning whether or not we are helping it along or not. Can we really get so full of ourselves and all we have to do, to think that God can't handle the job without us...of course we can! We do it every day!

And with that, we tie ourselves into the lie that we have to work our way to heaven. Oh, we know that's not true, and if you asked us, we could tell you how to get to heaven. It's through Jesus Christ alone, and yet we don't act that way. We think the harder we work, the better position we will be in with God and that He will love us more. Well, He can't love us any more than He already does. Just as we love our children no matter what, He loves us, only more so. His is a perfect love.

You were getting along so well. Who has
interfered with you to hold you back from following the truth?
It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom.
But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect
all the others - a little yeast spreads quickly through the
whole batch of dough!
Galatians 5:7-9
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God calls us to freedom and we keep locking ourselves back up in the prison of life. Why do we do that? We forget so quickly that we have been set free. We keep trying to earn our freedom but it can't be earned. It is a gift, and sometimes God just calls us to take a nap.
Let Him get the job done.
Rest my child!
It can feel so good and it should!

Dear brothers and sisters,
I solemnly assure you that the Good News of salvation
which I preach is not based on mere human reasoning or logic.
Galatians 1:11
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And that's what we try to work from, mere human reasoning and logic. And we get ourselves so tangled up in it, we can't see straight. And then that little bit of yeast spreads through the whole dough and before we know it we are consumed by it. Then it spreads to others who think that since they are not running around like chickens with their heads cut off too, they are not doing enough either, and the pressure is on to perform!!

But God does not work with mere human reasoning and logic. His ways are so far above our ways we can't even comprehend it all!  The only way to get a glimpse of it is to rest, to sit with God for awhile and ask Him for direction. To ask Him for help. To ask Him to please show the way, which is far better than the way that we have chosen. To take a break from this crazy world and be still for awhile. To stop working with human reasoning and logic and let God work through us. We know that but do we allow it?

Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down.
For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval.
So I died to the law so that I might live for God.
Galatians 2:18-19
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We always try to rebuild the old system, don't we? We forget so quickly that we don't have to work so hard and before we know it we find ourselves sweating through life again.
This is not what God has called us to.
This is not what Christ died for.
This is not the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Not at all.

For if we could be saved by keeping the law,
then there was no need for Christ to die.
Galatians 2:21b

Oh, foolish Galatians! (I insert my name here)
What magician has cast an evil spell on you?
For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ's death
as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture
of Christ dying on the cross. Let me ask you this one question:
Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law?
Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after
you believed the message you heard about Christ.
Have you lost your senses?
After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit,
why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
Galatians 3:1-3
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I love that part, "Have you lost your senses?". That's pretty blunt, isn't it? But we do! We lose our senses every day if we are not focused on the One who saves! I lose mine, and then I have to go looking for them in my quiet times with God, in His Word, in His presence! I find them there again. I get myself back on track, I get rid of that infectious yeast that tries to consume me each day, and then sometimes, I take a nap!

Who got the work done while I was sleeping?
God did!

That's not to say if you are at work you should find a couch and curl up on it. That just might get you fired! It's only to say that a time with God each day is vital to living a healthy life that's balanced on Him. Without it, we will lose our senses!!

And now that you have found God (or should I say, now that
God has found you), why do you want to go back again and
become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual powers
of this world? You are trying to find favor with God by what
you do or don't do on certain days or months or seasons or years.
Galatians 4:9-10
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Oh, how we get caught back up in to the "weak and useless spiritual powers of this world." It happens so quickly, we barely know it took place. Sometimes we don't even realize it until we spend that quiet time and God reveals it to us. This world is a rat race. Spend a week with full-time RVers and you will see the difference. They are not even like people on vacation, because people on vacation have to hurry to get everything done because their time is limited. These people are in no hurry. Life is a vacation, and there is no need to hurry anywhere. When they are finished here, they will just move on down the road to the next place...wherever that may be. It really doesn't matter.

The devil's trick is to keep us busy, keep us in that rat race, make us think there is no time for God...and the spiritual powers of this world will control our time and our emotions and we will miss out on so much. It's not that God will not continue to bless us, but we might be too busy to even notice that He has!

Those false teachers who are so anxious to win your favor
are not doing it for your good. They are trying to shut you off from me
so that you will pay more attention to them.
Galatians 4:17
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If the devil can distract us from God, he is satisfied. He wants our attention, he wants us to miss out on all that God is able to do in our lives. He wants us to miss out on the peace that has been offered to us. He wants us to be miserable! Our misery makes him happy. It's not for our good, it's for his! He wants us to keep running, faster and faster every day!

For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God
by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have
fallen away from God's grace.
Galatians 5:4
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It's not only in keeping the law, it's in working for a law that is no longer there.
We have been set free from the law!

For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it
makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised.
What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
Galatians 5:6
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Loving one another is most important. Being filled with the love of God so that He is able to do that through us is what's important. Not running so fast through our own rat race that we miss out on what God has for us each day.

Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised are
doing it for just one reason. They don't want to be persecuted for
teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save.
Galatians 6:12
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The cross of Christ alone can save! We cannot save ourselves. We cannot be good enough. We cannot work hard enough. We can do nothing on our own! So, why are we trying so hard?!

It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not.
What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people.
May God's mercy and peace be upon all those who live by this principle.
They are the new people of God.
Galatians 6:15-16
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Oh, how I want to be a new person. To live a new life, and not be held as a prisoner to the old spiritual powers of this world. There is too much that can tie us down, be a heavy burden, make our hearts ache. Jesus Christ came to set us free, and I want all that He has offered to us. I don't want His death on the cross to be wasted in my life. I want to thank Him each and every day for all He has done for me and to live accordingly.

From now on, don't let anyone trouble me with these things.
For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.
Galatians 6:17
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When I read this, I read it as "For I bear on my 'heart' the scars that show I belong to Jesus." My heart has been to war and back, and it will be victorious in Him. Our soul is our mind, emotions and will, and when I read that He restores my soul, I know that He does. My mind, my emotions, and my will are being restored daily by Jesus Christ alone for He alone has set me free!

That is how I want to live each day!!
Free!
Thank you Jesus!

Living in His peace and joy,
Diane