Short Thought – Free To Serve

The past week has been a rather difficult one. I apologize for the lack of posts lately as I was not diligent enough in getting things planned ahead. I had not scheduled all the posts through this time period so, there was nothing to fall back on except the Saturday evening music posts, which were the only ones scheduled. Hopefully this week will be more normal and productive, although I am still recovering from an emergency root canal and infection (too much to tell briefly!).

This post from March 2011 originally was published as a "Breakfast Rambling" - a category that I have somehow left behind. :-)
------------------------

Psalm 105:43-45 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:  And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people; That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.

After recounting so much of Israel’s history as a nation, particularly the deliverance from Egypt, the writer gives the purpose that God did this for them (plural) as opposed to the fact that He did it for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (vs. 6, 9-10, 42) individually (so to speak).  God delivered them from bondage so that they could “observe his statutes, and keep his laws.” 

When the Lord delivers us from the bondage of sin and the devil it is so that we may serve Him with reverence and godly fear.  It is so that we can obey His word in the church age context.

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

When we don’t obey we tend toward the same problems Israel had – a lust for the old “pleasures” and a return to bondage, both old and new.  The “freedom indeed” that we have in Christ is not freedom to do our own thing, but freedom from bondage so that we might serve God acceptably.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another… 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.