Living in the Freedom of Christ

Living in the Freedom of Christ

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Galatians 5:1 For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.

            In this month when we celebrate our national freedom, It is appropriate that we reflect on the  source of that freedom and acknowledge that without spiritual freedom, we can have neither moral nor political freedom. 

Freedom is autonomy, independence and the power and authority to make wise choices that will lead us into an abundant life in Jesus Christ.  To loosen the shackles and stand in His freedom, we must have an ever increasing knowledge of who God is and who we are in Him.  To run the race that is set before us, we must release ourselves from the hindrances of our past and move forward into our destiny.

            God is unchanging, but He continually increases His revelation of Himself. In Exodus 3, when Moses asked God “Who shall I say sent me?”, he was asking, “Lord, who are you?” Moses had been on the backside of the desert for 40 years.  He was so distant from his godly heritage that he had forgotten the attributes, the nature, the essence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

            Exodus 3:14 “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM (Yahweh).” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Yahweh is the source of all being and has being inherent in Himself. Everything else derives existence from Him.

            His Name also suggests that God is beyond the ordinary understanding of man. In Himself, God is beyond all definite descriptions. Because the language and speech of God is beyond the language and speech of His creation, our language is inadequate to describe Him. Because God is limitless and unlimitable, we will spent eternity delving His depths.  Though we cannot fully understand or express the magnitude of our Creator, we can move in the freedom of trusting Him because of His revelation of Himself in His Son and the indwelling presence of His Spriit in our being.  Freedom in Christ flows out of our trust in Him.  As we grow in our trust, we will no longer feel compelled to make decisions based on fear and/or perceived need.

            God is everywhere all of the time.  He is boundless in His goodness, love and compassion.  When we are obedient to His love and His grace, we have freedom: freedom from fear because we are shielded in His power and authority; freedom from want because He is our Shepherd and our provision; freedom from despair because He is our hope; freedom from doubt because He is our surety; freedom from depression and anxiety because He is our joy and our peace; freedom from death because He is life eternal. 

            When we walk in His freedom, we will be free indeed.  We will have moral freedom and political freedom because our choices will be centered in His wisdom. As individuals and as a nation, we will make decisions that insure our protection, provision, hope, assurance and joy.  We will be free to be who we were created to be. 

Ending the Vitriol

Ending the Vitriol

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

In this world of incivility, anger and curses, we, as children of God Most High, must learn to speak in the opposite spirit.  We must choose to speak life and blessing and hope and joy and peace and love even in the current political climate.

Proverbs 18:21 declares that both death and life are in the power of the tongue.

We are cautioned many times in scripture to guard our tongues. Throughout the ages, we seem to have forgotten the power of our words. We have forgotten the power of our words because we have not regarded the source of that power.

In the beginning, the power of the spoken word was evident when the Lord spoke

into the formless void and created. We are created in His image and in that image is the power to create through the words we choose to speak.

We live in a world where incivility abounds. As children we often chanted, “Sticks

and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We chanted to hide the fact that words spoken to us had crushed us emotionally. In truth, broken bones heal more quickly than damaged emotions.

The Spirit of God is grieved when our words create pain and anguish for others

and, therefore, for ourselves. Ephesians 4:30-32 directs, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (NKJV)

Proverbs 10:11 reminds us that the “mouth of the righteous is a well of life.” Our

words can heal. (Proverbs 12:18) Our words can bring joy and gladness. (Proverbs

12:25) Our words can impart grace to others. (Ephesians 4:29) Our words allow us to stand in the presence of God. (Psalm 15:3) By our words, we will either be justified or condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37.) Simply put, God is pleased when we choose to create life with our words.

We are encouraged to speak the word of God over ourselves and others so that

we can more fully walk in His image. We can choose to begin each day with the words of the psalmist, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (In spite of what is happening in the world around us.)

We can follow the course Jesus himself prescribed for us in Matthew 5:44-45, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (NKJV)

Graham Cooke, in his Game Changers study described a time when his desire was to retaliate for evil that a man had written to him. The Lord spoke to Graham, “I want you to sit down, and I want you to ask Me how I see him.  And I want you to write that down and send it to him.”

Graham obeyed. “Hey, I was praying about you today, and the Lord showed me this.”

“And I wrote something absolutely amazing.  I signed it and I sent it.  I never heard anything back, but the effect on me was huge.”

Matthew 12:37: “37.  "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.''

It is time to end the vitriol.

If you are seeking the “good life”, speak blessings over yourself and others.

“For He who would love life

And see good days,

Let him refrain his tongue from evil,

And his lips from speaking deceit.” (1 Peter 3:10 NKJV)

A Time to Weep; A Time to Dance

A Time to Weep; A Time to Dance

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Last evening, much of our area was assaulted by thunderstorms, destructive hail and tornadoes. The turbulence struck to the south, north, east and west of us, but we were spared.  Even in our safety, we are prone to question God.  Why? Why were we spared when so many others are devastated?   We tend to feel guilty about that for which we should be thankful.

Solomon wisely wrote, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4).

Sometimes, those seasons come together.  When I looked around my property this morning and saw everything intact, my heart rejoiced.  I praised God.  The greater joy I felt in my deliverance, the greater grief I sensed when I learned more details of the destruction around me. 

I wept for the family who, after suffering nearly overwhelming loss is last year’s prairie fires, watched as the storm obliterated buildings and personal property.  My heart ached for residents of a nursing home in Nebraska whose roof was torn away.  I cringed at pictures of hailstones that could barely be held in an adult palm. 

In this, I have come to understand more clearly the nature of our God.  In a single moment of time, He rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep. I cry out, “Oh, to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer.”

Those of us who were spared the effects of the super cell that hovered over our area, must praise God, without guilt, for our deliverance and at the same time reach out in compassion to those who were not spared.  We must be comforters, encouragers and helpers. We must allow those who are hurting to grieve so that they can be healed in their hearts. 

The question should not be, “Why, God?”, but, “Lord, how can I help?”

Prayer is always helpful and so are encouraging words and helping hands.

Considering the Kingdom of God in This Age

Considering the Kingdom of God in This Age

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Biblical prophecies usually have at least three occurrences of fulfillment:  the first for the time in which it was given, the second in the Church age and the third in the end times.  Such is true when considering the prophecies about the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom does not always refer to the Millennial Reign of Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Jesus preached about the Kingdom in His time which includes the Church Age.   Mark 1:14-15: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." 

Our Lord taught His disciples to pray for the Kingdom.  Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our prayer is to be for the Kingdom of God to come so that His desires will be accomplished on earth as they are in heaven.  

The prayer continues as we agree that blessings will come when we walk in His will:  our daily needs will be provided; we will be forgiving and forgiven; we will be led away from temptation and evil.  In the Kingdom today, that is the reign of Christ in our individual hearts and lives, we acknowledge that He is King, that He is omnipotent and glorious.

The Kingdom of God during the Church Age is all about our relationship with our King.

In Romans 14:17, Paul wrote: “for the Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Therefore, the Kingdom of God is not about material, finite things.  The Kingdom of God is about spiritual, eternal truths that we are blessed to walk in every day and throughout all of eternity.

The Kingdom of God allows us to be more than overcomers in this life.  Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit transcend the trials and tribulations of this world and lift us above the commonplace and into His glory. 

However, when we choose to continue in sin, when we refuse to follow Jesus as our King, we cannot experience the righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit while we are in  this world nor will we be allowed to enter the Kingdom of God in the End Times when the Lamb opens the Book of Life.

Choose, today, to walk out of sin with its despair and fear and into His Kingdom.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Helen H. Lemmel

O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free:

Turn you eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Considering His Rod and His Staff

Considering His Rod and His Staff

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Psalm 23:4b: “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Considering the rod, we find the Hebrew word describes a stick that can be used for disciplining, writing, fighting, ruling or walking.  With his rod, the shepherd disciplines the sheep.  Discipline is not punishment.  Discipline proves direction, purpose, and wisdom. The shepherd guides his sheep.  He leads them to still waters, to places of peace and safety just as the Word of God directs us to the comfort and peace of the Holy Spirit.  In His Word, we find purpose for living.  We find wisdom.  We find hope. 

God’s Word is a mighty weapon.  Hebrews 4: 12: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  The Word is the rod we must use in spiritual warfare.  The Word is both an offensive weapon and a defensive weapon.    The Word is a two-edged sword.

The Word is the ruling scepter of the Lord extended toward us.  The Word establishes His authority and the authority that He has given us in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18

Interestingly, in Hebrew, the rod is also, figuratively, a clan.  It pictures the guidance, purpose, power and authority that is the synergy arising from unity.  May we take Psalm 133:1 to heart: “How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live in harmony.”  Our unity is a demonstration of our love.  Our unity is a testimony that the Father loves us just as He loves His Son (John 17:31).

It is the rod and the staff together that bring comfort on our life journey.  While the rod represents that which guides our life, the staff represents that which supports our life.  We lean on the staff, and there we find strength.  

  

The day after He had broken the loaves and fed the multitude, Jesus said to the crowds that had gathered, "'For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'

'Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always.'

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:33-35).

When the rod touches us, we are enriched.    When we lean on the staff and ingest the bread of truth, we find ourselves at the table that He had prepared for us before the foundation of the world.  Then, even though we may be surrounded by our enemies, our cup of joy overflows and we rest in His eternal presence.

Considering the Lilies

Considering the Lilies

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

In this season, the Lord is leading me into a time of considering, a time of looking more deeply into His word and into the world around me, a time to note carefully, to learn thoroughly.  I began this journey with Luke 12:27:  "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Lilies grow all over the world. The Snowdon grows in alpine tundra. Other lilies thrive in the deserts.  Some grow in the shade. Others grow in the sun. Some even grow in the water.

Lilies, like people, grow in unusual environments.  No matter their differences, they still are lilies.

Mary, Mary, don’t be so contrary.

Stop and consider how God’s garden grows.

Some in the cold.

Some in the warm.

Some in the city.

Some on the farm.

No matter the situation or the place.

Not one is hidden from the Maker’s grace.

A lily is more than just another pretty face.  Dried lilies are a rich in fiber, sodium and carbohydrates. Lily bulbs have proteins, starch and other vitamins and minerals.  One of the benefits of the lily is that it helps to regulate the heart rate. The roots of the lily are used in an ointment for treating burns and preventing scar tissue.

In some parts of the world, roots of the wood lily are used as medicinal teas to treat coughs, fevers, stomach disorders as well as wounds.

The essential oil of the lily is used in aromatherapy to treat depression.  The oil is also used in the perfume industry.

Some lilies are surprising!!

The onion and its relatives belong to the lily family. Some, such as the allium, are ornamental; the garlic, leek, Welsh onion, and chive are vegetables. All of the edible forms have related flavors and odors that are due to a volatile, irritating substance.

Those people and situations are grace growers.  We grow in grace as we learn to be more gracious in our dealings with them.

It’s all in the attitude, our attitude.  I can either be a lonely little petunia in a onion patch or a blessed little petunia in a lily patch. It’s all in my perception and attitude.

In the beauty of the lilies, we see the majesty of our Creator.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20).

He is the lily of the valleys. (Song of Solomon 2:1) Valleys represent times of trial and temptation.

The flower we call the lily of the valley pictures the love, purity, humility, healing and hope we have in Jesus.  He heals not only our ailing physical hearts, but also our broken emotional hearts. Likewise, He heals the scars of abuse, neglect and betrayal.   He is our healer, our comfort, our joy.

He is also the lily of our mountain top experiences, our times of victory and triumph. He rejoices in our exultation. “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing'' (Zephaniah 3:17).

Consider the Lilies

By Joel Hemphill

“Consider the lilies they don't toil nor spin

And there's not a king with more splendor than them

Consider the sparrows they don't plant nor sow

But they're fed by the Master who watches them grow

We have a heavenly Father above

With eyes full of mercy and a heart full of love

He really cares when your head is bowed low

Consider the lilies and then you will know

May I introduce you to this Friend of mine

Who hangs out the stars tells the sun when to shine

And kisses the flowers each morning with dew

But He's not too busy to care about you.”

He does really care when your head is bowed low.  Take time to consider the lilies and then you will know.

Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Gloria Gaither and Mark Mathes

“Sometimes it takes a mountain
Sometimes a troubled sea
Sometimes it takes a desert
To get a hold of me
Your Love is so much stronger
Then whatever troubles me
Sometimes it takes a mountain
To trust you and believe.”

This song has captivated my heart.  It resonates in my spirit even in my sleep.  It has caused me to meditate on the mountains, the troubled seas and the deserts of life. 

In scripture, mountains often represent difficulties and hardships that must be overcome.  

Jesus assures us, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24.)

Holding onto the promises of God, we discover that those mountains of obstruction in our lives can be removed, most often one layer at a time. 

However, the mountain image is not one-sided.  We often describe those victory moments in our lives as “mountain top” experiences.  Remember the ark rested on Mt. Ararat.  Abraham offered Isaac on Mount Moriah and received the provision of God for salvation.  Later, Solomon built the Temple on that sight.  Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.  Elijah called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel.  Golgotha gave us the ultimate mountain top experience when Jesus cried, “It is finished” and died to pay the price for our sin.

Whether the mountain offers obstruction or deliverance, a mountain top experience opens us to the revelation of God.  God gets a hold of us on the mountain.

On the troubled seas of life, we can either be like Jonah or like the Apostle Paul.  Jonah tried to escape the Lord on the tumultuous sea.    Jonah asked to be thrown overboard in the storm and found himself in an unlikely and uncomfortable place of protection.  God got a hold of him in the belly of the great fish.

God got a hold of Paul on the road to Damascus.  Later, when the tempest arose, Paul prayed and fasted during the storm and received the assurance that though the ship would be lost, all the lives on board would be saved.  When the stormy sea arose, Paul prayed because he knew his Lord.

His love surrounds us even in the most turbulent times.

Then we come to the desert times when we feel empty, deserted and spiritually lethargic.  During those times, we must remember the Israelites in the wilderness.  God found his people in that desert: "He found them in a wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded them, cared for them, guarded them as the apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10)

When the people of Judah were exiled in Babylon, God told them to return to their homeland.  The desert wilderness that lay between them and Jerusalem became a pathway back to God: "A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" (Isaiah 40:3.)

We are not deserted in the desert.

What we must learn in difficult times is that His love is stronger than anything that might trouble us.  It is in those seemingly impossible situations that we learn to trust and believe. Sometimes it takes a mountain for us to accept that.