Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out. We have reason to expect evil, for we are born to trouble; it is wisdom to do good in the day of prosperity. Riches cannot profit us, if we do not benefit others. Every man must labour to be a blessing to that place where the providence of God casts him. Wherever we are, we may find good work to do, if we have but hearts to do it. If we magnify every little difficulty, start objections, and fancy hardships, we shall never go on, much less go through with our work. Winds and clouds of tribulation are, in God’s hands, designed to try us. God’s work shall agree with his word, whether we see it or not. And we may well trust God to provide for us, without our anxious, disquieting cares. Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season, in God’s time, you shall reap.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

- Mother Teresa

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them —John 13:17

Be determined to know more than others (about God). If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and to send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself— begin to have spiritual discernment.

When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Examine where you have become sluggish, where you began losing interest spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something you knew you should do. You did not do it because there seemed to be no immediate call to do it. But now you have no insight or discernment, and at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-controlled. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more (about God).

Be obedient to God and His higher calling for us.

On our journey of faith, there are times when the “freedom” of sin that we left behind is more appealing than the restrictions of faith that lie ahead. We must trust the protective boundaries found in God’s Word as the only way to get to the place of ultimate freedom.
— Julie Ackerman Link

As my pastor would put it: the Christian faith is full of paradoxes. The first will be last, the last – first. You will your find life only when you lose it. And part of that list includes the very idea of freedom. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)

Christians have been freed, yet the world – and sometimes even ourselves, as Christians – feel that there are a lot of rules to follow. ‘Freedom’ is defined as personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery. To be able to live without being slaves. Canadians (according to the Charter) has freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion, peace and association; even freedom55. Yet ironically the only thing we can’t choose to be free from is sin. The whole world acknowledges it. If anyone claims to have never sinned, they are only deceiving themselves.

The freedom that Christians live in – is freedom from the clutches of sin. Humans are sinful creatures and Christians believe that sin leads to death. (Rom 3:23) Without deviating from the topic at hand, it is this freedom that ultimately grants us life. (The mechanism that allows for how that freedom is obtained is another story/post.)

A fish is not free in the air. They are free in the environment in which they were designed to be in. A fish outside of its environment will eventually die. We as humans were not designed to be a part of sin. If we remain in sin, we will also eventually die. (This analogy breaks down if we try to dissect it, but if you find it useful – use it. If not then discard it.)

Likewise, let’s picture a fish inside a glass bowl of water. The fish peering out into a world of air may feel he would find more freedom if he were outside. But in reality he would only flop around; perhaps feeling mighty stupid – in hindsight – for jumping out. Humankind was designed to be set apart from sin; to be in the water. The “rules” that Christians live by are merely the boundaries of our fishbowl; it is what helps us stay in our natural environment. Christians don’t follow the rules blindly because they are told to, nor are they restricted to it; but rather Christians follow rules because they know what lies on the other side.

No earthly kingdoms can put in their charter of rights and freedom, to have freedom from sin. This is the ultimate freedom that Julie Ackerman Link mentions in her quote. So does Christianity stifle our freedom? Perhaps freedom from sinning, but what good will it lead to anyways?

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.