"Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace."
-Romans 6:14
-Romans 6:14
One of the favorite songs at Willow Community Church is "I Am Free!". It really seems to touch the congregation's hearts, not to mention that it totally ROCKS! But I wonder if we truly understand the implications of what this freedom means?
I heard from a young lady this week that she had been praying and praying that God would take away the difficult circumstances in which she found herself. She didn't understand why God wasn't answering her prayers. The reality is that God was answering her prayers, just not in a way that she wanted to hear. It seemed to be that God's answer was, "Your circumstances are a result of your choices. You must live with these consequences, but I will give you strength, peace and joy during these times if you trust me."
Many people think that Christianity is a horrible, confining life. The exact opposite is true. God loves us so much that He gives us the freedom to make choices in our lives. He will not force us to do anything we don't want to do. He wants us to choose to follow Him.
We want the freedom to live our lives the way we want, but we don't want to live with the consequences that come with those choices. So many times we don't seek God's will when we make a decision, but we run to Him for help when we mess things up.
God is our Father and it must break his heart to see us make choices that hurt us and the people around us. God is all powerful. If He chooses to deliver us from our circumstances, He can. But the reality is that He might not. In this case, He promises to give us wisdom and guidance if we believe that He will.
The words of the song, "I Am Free" are: "I am free to run. I am free to dance. I am free to live for You. I am free!" The freedom a Christian experiences in Christ is a beautiful and empowering thing. It can be used to shape a life that exudes the power and peace that only our Savior can give!
The way we live is our choice. That's tough to swallow for a society that loves to point the finger and cast blame. It's tough to stand up and be responsible for yourself and your decisions. It's not an easy thing, but it is a simple thing. Make the choice to glorify God in everything you do.
I've got so much to learn!!
I heard from a young lady this week that she had been praying and praying that God would take away the difficult circumstances in which she found herself. She didn't understand why God wasn't answering her prayers. The reality is that God was answering her prayers, just not in a way that she wanted to hear. It seemed to be that God's answer was, "Your circumstances are a result of your choices. You must live with these consequences, but I will give you strength, peace and joy during these times if you trust me."
Many people think that Christianity is a horrible, confining life. The exact opposite is true. God loves us so much that He gives us the freedom to make choices in our lives. He will not force us to do anything we don't want to do. He wants us to choose to follow Him.
We want the freedom to live our lives the way we want, but we don't want to live with the consequences that come with those choices. So many times we don't seek God's will when we make a decision, but we run to Him for help when we mess things up.
God is our Father and it must break his heart to see us make choices that hurt us and the people around us. God is all powerful. If He chooses to deliver us from our circumstances, He can. But the reality is that He might not. In this case, He promises to give us wisdom and guidance if we believe that He will.
The words of the song, "I Am Free" are: "I am free to run. I am free to dance. I am free to live for You. I am free!" The freedom a Christian experiences in Christ is a beautiful and empowering thing. It can be used to shape a life that exudes the power and peace that only our Savior can give!
The way we live is our choice. That's tough to swallow for a society that loves to point the finger and cast blame. It's tough to stand up and be responsible for yourself and your decisions. It's not an easy thing, but it is a simple thing. Make the choice to glorify God in everything you do.
I've got so much to learn!!
8 comments:
Well, almost all of the church likes that song. Some of us are not as fond of that song.
The words to the song are touching, we are free to praise God...whom I love so very much for what he has done in my life. In some places in the world people could be killed for praising Jesus, our Savior.
Even if you do not like the song itself, hopefully you can appreciate the message and identify with what it can mean in your life! Not everyone will like every song, but it does not mean you cannot relate to what it is saying. There are songs that I don't really like, but I choose that time to focus on the message of the song and worship anyway!
Hey baby!
I don't know, maybe it's because I get to play the drums on "I Am Free", or maybe it's because I remember when I was held bondage to sin and guilt, or maybe it's because I was once blinded to the truth of Jesus Christ, or maybe it's because I have freedom in Jesus to dance before Him in worship, but I just love that song! I absolutely agree with you that there are songs that I don't really "like" (although I can't think of one right now), but I still find myself identifying with Jesus in our worship time. There is always something in each song that reminds me of the beauty and majesty of God. There is alway something in each song that reminds me of the mercy, forgiveness and peace I have received from Jesus and that's why I worship and praise Him no matter what the song is or how fast or how loud or how soft or how slow it is. The only thing that concerns me about anonymous #1 is that they chose to make a comment (which is a fair and completely honest and understandable comment) without identifying themselves. I hope that Willow hasn't fostered an atmosphere of fear for those who have an opinion that might be contrary to popular thought. I know we're only talking about one song, so i don;t want to make more of it than it is, but still, I hope we all feel the freedom to express opinions openly and honestly without the fear of retribution.
Well I suppose that it is not the worse one but it is in the bottom 5.
Hey Kim.
Thanks for posting!
Along with Bill, I too would encourage everyone to at least identify themselves, as people have done the same thing on my blog, and that is a little frustrating to me. I don't think that I/we have given anyone the idea that we (as Church leaders) are not approachable, or that people are some how not able to have differing opinions or tastes than what we have.
Keep up the posts Kim!
ps I love "I Am Free" too!
I hope that the message of the blog got through to the reader and that they didn't just stop reading because they don't like the song "I Am Free!". Our freedom in Christ is such a huge gift and I think we fail to truly understand how blessed we are because of this gift!
True true true. The method of delivery isn't the issue. It is the message, and the "connectability" of the song in worshiping God.
I love the message of the song too. Ah...the Victorious Life. Nothing like it. Nothing compared to it. I wonder what things would have been like under the Law (unattainable), or a life without Jesus (unfulfilled and without hope). I guess I just praise God that that isn't what I have to live by, or anyone else for that matter.
D <><
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