Freedom in TRUTH

I love this country.  I love our soldiers.  I think the United States is the best country in the whole world.  There is no other place where you can have life, like that in the United States.  There is no other country in the world that loves life, and freedom as much as we do.  However, we are in strange times.  We are at a place where all of the sudden our freedoms are being taken from us, and the love of life is slowly slipping away.  I believe we need truth, and in truth we can find freedom, that will in turn set our country back on track.

What is this truth I speak of?  It is God's word.  After all, God is the maker of real freedom.  He is the creator and sustainer of all things good and righteous.  If we embrace God's truth, I think we will better understand freedom and how we should embrace it as a country.

Recently, I have been participating in a Bible Study of sorts.  It is a group designated to help women who have been abused.  Along with my mother-in-law we have been attending the class to determine if this is something that we want to lead in the future.  The class focuses on sharing God's TRUTH, not the lies we tell ourselves, and definitely not the lies that others/the world tell us.  I am learning so much about people and truth.  Our world is full of people who are hurting.  We are a country of lost people.  Many of my blogs have been about love, and how God commands us to love one another.  After being in this class it occurs to me that I don't think I have given enough thought to the role of TRUTH in our lives and in our freedom.

The class is called Beauty For Ashes.  It is based on the scripture Isaiah 61:3, but I am including verses 1&2 because I think it speaks great truth for our hurting world.


Isaiah 61: 1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

This is truth.  I love what it says in these verses, by proclaiming the good news, otherwise known as TRUTH, hearts can be healed, FREEDOM can be found and comfort will be given.  It says a crown of beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair.  What this means is that people need to know about the TRUTH found in Jesus Christ.  If they know and believe, they can walk FREE of guilt and shame with healed hearts, comforted from their sorrows.  Don't you think our country and our world could use more of this FREEDOM in TRUTH?

I love the imagery of FREEDOM that is given here.  I love the description of a crown of beauty.  When we walk in truth, and share it with others real freedom exists. You too can be free, just exchange your ashes for beauty.  All you have to do is accept Jesus as your savior and ask for forgiveness. You are so dearly loved by God the Father.  You no longer have to wear those ashes of worry, guilt, or shame.  You are freed by the truth found only in Jesus.

As a country we seem to be in a grey area when it comes to truth.  We walk covered in ashes, living in despair, brokenhearted, and a prisoner to our debtors.  So many of us claim to be Christian but don't know the first thing about God's character or word.  If we root ourselves in truth, then the many grey areas would not be holding us hostage.  Abortion/murder, homosexuality, lying, cheating, and stealing are just a few areas that we kid ourselves into thinking things like, "Well, maybe it is ok in this case."  Or, we convince ourselves we just need to be more loving.  The reality is we need to take a step back and look at what God has to say about these things.

As we celebrate the 4th of July, I hope that we can celebrate with TRUTH.  The truth is, our constitution was founded by people who were seeking God, and today followed by people who barely know Him.  I hope that each of us will take time to look at God's truth and the beauty that comes from ashes, when we choose to follow him.  I pray this 4th of July you will consider what God's truth is in your life.  I pray you will consider that the Constitution was framed by Christian men seeking God's truth.  Then ask yourself if the men and women who uphold it today are seeking God's truth.  Then I encourage you to pray for our country like never before, and make your voice heard on election day!

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!