Based on “The Church—Why We Do What We Do, Part 3” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
2/20-21/10, Message #MB408; Daily Devotional #1 - “True Freedom”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47) Every time I read this portion of Scripture I can’t help but be amazed by the generosity and freedom these early Christians had. Their problems and issues were the same as ours. We know that they worried about their daily bread because Jesus told them not to worry about those things (Matthew 6:25-27). They faced the same struggles we do today in regard to raising children and providing a safe secure home for them to live in. There are many generous Christ followers today, but I must say I envy the freedom that is expressed in this small passage of Scripture. But, I know I don’t have to envy anyone; I can have this freedom just as they did. What it comes down to is absolute surrender to Christ. It takes time for each of us to grow and mature and, while some do it quicker than others, this should be the goal of every Christ follower. It is very simple, yet it is difficult to do. We have to surrender our will and realize that everything comes from God. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): I am a parent of a teenage daughter. It seems like yesterday that I was the age she is. I can remember that feeling of freedom she has. As parents, we set up boundaries, and she has responsibilities to take care of, but life is pretty carefree. She goes to school and does her work and is developing the talents the Lord has given her, but she also has that security that mom and dad will always provide her a home, food, and clothing. Something happens as we get older and are out on our own. We start to feel that we have to depend completely on ourselves. Yes, we are to put away childish things as we get older (1 Corinthians 13:11). However, we were never meant to live our life apart from God. We are to still be dependent on Him. We are to mature and be wise stewards of all that He gives us because everything belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1). We come into this world with nothing, and we leave all that we have collected behind when this life is over.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): The only way to experience this freedom is to trust God wholeheartedly. We have to put the world and its ways behind us because those ways are contrary to God and His Word. We are experiencing one of the biggest financial disasters in our country’s history, and it is because we have relied on our own reasoning instead of God’s. If we would choose to trust God at His word and live how He says to live, many of these problems can be avoided. How does He care for all of our needs? He does it by using people. His resources are unlimited! The first step is to acknowledge that nothing is ours. Second, we need to shake off the world and all of its pleasures in order to experience the true freedom that Christ died to give us. Christ was the perfect example of living in complete submission to the Father. As the disciples followed, we see firsthand that every need was met and more. They all made mistakes; after all they were human. They felt fear, but they chose to trust Christ more. As a result, they turned their world upside down. God still moves, but we have to be willing to surrender ourselves to Him. I admit, I am not there yet, but the Lord is patient with me as He is with you. Let’s pray for that freedom in all Christ followers so we can share it with others. Our world is starving for that freedom and peace that comes only from a real relationship with Jesus. I pray we all fall under complete submission to Christ.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Luke 6:38; Ephesians 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:2-4
HS
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.