Freedom Principles; At-One-Meant Now

On the blog talk radio program, Scriptures for the Latter Days http://tobtr.com/s/4505593, we talked about freedom in two different contexts. One was the Israelites as they left Egypt, in Exodus 14:11-12. The Egyptians complained to Moses that they wanted to stay in Egypt and be servants. They did not want to be free.  Even after the many plagues and “passovers” that the Lord had given them the people were still desirous to be “safe” in bondage to the Egyptians. Of course, they were seeing the Egyptians following them now and thought they would be killed, but where was their faith in the God who had preserved them?

Are we like the Egyptians, more willing to serve man than we are to serve God even if that means bondage instead of freedom? I am proposing that it would be better to face death at the hand of my enemy rather than live comfortably among those who hate God and turn from him at every opportunity. I do not believe that man understands the meaning of freedom. I do not believe he understands who he is or what his purpose is.

Jesus taught in Mark 4 the meaning of the sower of the seed to those who believed. Are we among those who truly believe? Is the Holy Ghost able to get our attention so that we are taught the things that will bring us closer to God or are we enticed more by the things of this world? (See Mark 4:19) The cares of this world…the deceitfulness of riches…or the lusts of other things…

Listen to the discourse on http://tobtr.com/s/4505593

Do these two passages not contain a similar question we need to ask ourselves? Are we willing to be free? What are we holding onto that keeps us from being in the presence of the Lord?

I understand well the draws of this world, this “life” if you will. I suggest to you that Christ is teaching us that we are not of this world. Our appetites, lustful desires, even relationships that do not allow us to be centered in Christ alone are dangerous and have no lasting meaning. Am I saying be isolated! Quite the contrary, I am suggesting that we unite in the decision to think of Christ first in all that we do and offer up all that we do unto God in the name of Jesus Christ so that it might be sanctified unto us.

We cannot just be satisfied to know that Jesus is the Christ, nor can we be satisfied just going about our business while the world corrupts around us. We need to use whatever means we have to testify that Jesus is the Christ and that by no other means may we obtain LIFE. Truly, this is not Life, it is the valley of the shadow of death, it is where we may choose life and true life is to be found in Jesus Christ alone.