Freedom and Fulfillment 8-27-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Increase. ... "Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, 'I brought you up from Egypt, and brought into the land that I had promised your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you. For your part, do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land; tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My command. See what you have done! So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you' " (Judges 2:1-3). You brought the Israelites out of Egypt and into the land of Your promise in fulfillment of Your covenant. And You warned them that though they were free, they would be tempted to compromise their faith and forfeit their freedom. Yet in disobedience -- either out of rebellious defiance of the authority of Your word or out of doubt and unbelief of the truth of Your word, they chose to dishonor their part of the covenant to be faithful to You. And as You said, they were ensnared and enslaved by the false gods they served and failed to destroy. Instead of living in the joy of their salvation and the blessings of Your promises, "the people lifted up their voices and wept" (Judges 2:4). Their story is our instruction. Their wavering is our warning. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall" (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). Our Father God, by the power of Your grace, You delivered us from our Egypt, saved us from our sins, and released us into the fulfillment of Your promises. You "enabled (us) to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light" and "rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of (Your) beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:12-14). Like those who have gone before us, we are also tempted to squander our blessings and forfeit the freedom and fulfillment of Your promises. We compromise our faith and bow down at the altar of the false gods of our culture and our sin. We become ensnared and enslaved by the adversary of our souls through the sin we befriend and fail to drive out from our lives through obedience and faith in the power of Your grace (Romans 6:6). "You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness" (Romans 6:16). But even in the bondage of our choices in rebellion or doubt of Your word and wisdom for our lives, we can turn to You for freedom and fulfillment of the promises You long for us to have in You. "For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1). Come, Lord Jesus. Deliver us in the power of the Holy Spirit that we may again embrace the promises of our Father. Our covenant is sealed in Your blood and received through faith and obedience to Your word. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, in these strenuous economic times, please keep our ministry in mind in your giving to the ministries of the kingdom of God as the Lord leads. We raise all our own financial support and I would be very glad to share the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries with you or anyone who may have heart for "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" according to Isaiah 61 and Luke 4, our Scriptural vision for ministry. All contributions to "Messiah Ministries" are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated to help fulfil our calling: Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org God bless you! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502