Christ, the Law of Liberty

So speak and so act as those who are to be judged 

under the law of liberty. James 2:12 ESV

Liberty actually means "freedom from captivity", and America celebrates its freedom on on this day - July 4th! For Christians, liberty is true freedom from sin, genuine freedom to walk in obedience to Christ. In Christian liberty there is freedom from the bondage of sin through faith in Christ. With the Holy Spirit helping our every effort, the Believer walks in obedience with God. Wiersbe writes, "We are judged by the law of liberty - the law of love written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit." Christ is the Law of Liberty.

In James 2:8, the "royal law" [also known as the Supreme law of God, the law of love, Sovereign law] states:You shall love your neighbor as yourself. This law comes from the King of kings and defines our response to others. As someone freed from the captivity of sin, someone given eternal life through the law of liberty, God's freedom plan redefines our purpose. In word and deed, we are to love our neighbor as someone under the Law of Liberty. Our words and deeds - free from prejudice, from oppression, from exploitation - should reveal Christ's love written on our hearts! His Grace and Mercy become ours to share. Celebrate Christ - True Freedom - this July 4th! ~dho

Our words and deeds - free from prejudice, from oppression, from exploitation - should reveal Christ's love written on our hearts!  

~Donna Oswalt

Friendship Betrayed ~ Series on Friendship

"It is not an enemy who taunts me - I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me - I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you - my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we enjoyed as we walked together in the house of God." Psalm 55:12-14 NLT

David's psalm laments his personal betrayal by a close friend, someone he trusts, someone with whom he shares his faith. The greatest wounds inflicted are not usually from an adversary but from the betrayal of a close companion. Within personal relationships, when disloyalty reaches deep and undermines trust, pain sits with disbelief. Deception is an intimate violation.

Betrayal can threaten to sway political powers for personal gain. For example, the Jewish leaders taunt Pilate, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar," suggesting that convicting Jesus of a crime and sentencing Him to death would prove Pilate more popular with Caesar. In the continued betrayal of Jesus and with great hypocrisy, the chief priests even declare that Caesar is their only king! Duplicity creates confusion and conflict.

When injustice is exposed, self-righteousness and guilt meet. Jesus endures the slander of those who deny His truth mocking Him as a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus tells those who choose to believe and follow Him, they,too, will know betrayal from family and friends and even death. Jesus experiences the betrayal by one of His own disciples. Unfaithfulness joins rebellion, and friendship is betrayed with a kiss.

Scripture tells us that having a friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God. The world has no loyalty and will always betray us with false security and corrupt truth. In desperation, we firmly position our hopes while holding buckets of excuses and juggling platters of expectations. Jesus waits for us. Jesus chooses us. Jesus calls us. There is no deception or duplicity in Jesus. Simply come to Jesus as a sinner and become a friend of God. ~dho

"There is no deception or duplicity in Jesus. Simply come to Jesus 

as a sinner and become a friend of God." ~ Donna Oswalt

Fruit-full Friendship ~ Series on Friendship

"You didn't choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last. As a result, whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you." John 15:16 CEB

For Jesus, friendship with the Father and His disciples implied shared understanding and commitment to a common, higher purpose.(Doyle Theimer) Jesus chooses us and then assigns us the task of producing lasting fruit. As the Holy Spirit infuses the soul with righteous living, a new nature with new characteristics evolve. Being ambassadors for Christ, we must  accurately represent Him. The depth of our relationship with Christ is expressed in our relationships with others. Jesus invites us into a radial faith and reveals infinite possibilities. 

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

Faithfulness to the Father, obedience to Christ, and response to the Spirit produces a fruit-full garden. These fruits of the Spirit become our testimony, our mission, our common purpose with Christ. In sharing these fruits with others, the door to God's intention swings wide to righteous living. Henri Nouwen gives clarity to Jesus choosing us with we are called to give our very lives to one another and that, in so doing, we become a true community of love. Jesus chooses us to be fruit-full friends, and promises us a personal, intimate relationship that exceeds imagination! ~ dho

We are called to give our very lives to one another and that, in so doing, 

we become a true community of love. 

Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved, Spiritual Living in a Secular World, p.115 

Relationship Matters! ~ Series on Friendship

"He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." 2 Timothy 1:9 NIV

Friendship with God is not evidenced in self-sufficiency, academic knowledge, and social status, or in moral strength, natural ability, and life experience. Arrogance and self-reliant attitudes create barriers between us and God. Our relationship with God develops in our places of poverty - in our places of deepest need. This spiritual friendship finds fertile ground on mountains of despair, along valleys of darkness, in deserts of doubt. Jesus says, "You didn't choose Me, but I chose you!" 

Oswald Chambers writes, "The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends." As God's Kingdom-friends, we become a part of His Bigger and Glorious Plan. Chambers goes on to say, "The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain." Our relationship with God defines our purpose and reveals our priority in our circle of influence. Only through Christ can we be made pure and holy. This holy calling becomes holy work. Within this divine friendship, our weaknesses find Grace and purpose. Relationship matters! ~ dho

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/thomasmcgirr

Faithful Friendship ~ Series on Friendship

"No one has greater love [no one shows stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends." John 15:13 AMP

Among the ancient Greeks, according to Biblical scholar Luke Timothy Johnson, "friendship was among the most discussed, analyzed, and highly esteemed relationships." In many Greco-Roman stories, dying for the sake of friendship speaks to strong moral character, heroic but rare. Jesus tells His circle of friends how much He loves them and with the cross, proves that amazing love. Even in suffering, Jesus remains faithful.

Examples of God's faithfulness can be seen throughout the Bible. In 2 Timothy 2:13 Scripture reminds that even in our unfaithfulness, God is faithful. When Jesus says, "but I have called you friends," He is sharing more than heartfelt emotions. Jesus reveals His relationship with God the Father and shares this deep intimacy with His chosen friends. This intimate friendship between God and a few fishermen in Galilee over 2,000 years ago remains the model for Christians today. A rare, faithful Friend, Jesus demonstrates the greatest love, the strongest affection for every person with His willingness to endure the cross. This holy gift of faithful friendship is designed to be shared with others. ~ dho

A rare, faithful Friend, Jesus demonstrates the greatest love for every person with His willingness to endure the cross. Donna Oswalt click to tweet 

Joy-full Friendship ~ Series on Friendship

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  Ephesians 4:31-32 ESV

Discontentment leads to resentment, resentment to rage, rage to shouting, shouting to abuse; this is the chain of events that acts of malice ignite. These intentional malignant actions, each one fueling the next, cause pain and distress. Negative emotions like resentment and animosity are toxic and destroy relationships. Warren Wiersbe says, "Corruption from the lips only means corruption in the heart." 

Augustine in his Confessions lists the joys of friendship: “to make conversation, to share a joke, to perform mutual acts of kindness, to read together well-written books, to share in trifling and in serious matters, to disagree though without animosity.. and in the very rarity of disagreement to find the salt of normal harmony, to teach each other something or to learn from one another, to long with impatience for those absent, to welcome them with gladness on their arrival.” 

The way we interact with others reveals not only our heart's attitude, but it gives insight into our relationship with God. The joys of friendship with God include holy conversations and divine instruction, unconditional love and unrestrained fellowship, peace and hope, all wrapped up together in Amazing Grace. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of our life. (The Message Ephesians 4:30) Our expressions of kindness and tenderness and forgiveness that we offer one another measures our friendship with God. ~ dho

Unrestrained Fellowship ~ Series on Friendship

Thus, the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend... Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Take these people up to the Promised Land.' But You haven't told me whom You will send with me. You call me by name and tell me I have found favor with You... And the LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." ...And the LORD replied to Moses, I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with Me, and you are My friend."

Exodus 33:11-17 NASB/NLT

God calls Abraham and Moses by name, speaks to them as friends, identifies each one as friend. In studying these heroes of Faith, it is clear the privilege of friendship with God comes with many responsibilities but also provides deep, intimate fellowship. These ancient words in Exodus reveal not only the trust and responsiveness of Moses to God, but also God's promise of His Presence to Moses. This relationship demonstrates reciprocity, mutuality, and unrestrained fellowship!

God's promise, "My Presence will go with you," reassures Moses. In Hebrew My Presence literally means My Face. (NKJV Study Bible) Moses asks for God's Presence, His personal companionship; God willingly responds. Of all the nations on earth in Old Testament times, only Israel would go forward with the presence of God Almighty! With Jesus Christ, God completes the picture of His abiding presence. For through Christ, each of us can have this unrestrained fellowship with God.

Philip Yancey, in his book Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference, "keeping company with God involves two parties, and I have an important role to play in the relationship." There are those people who seem content with a superficial relationship with God, those who settle less. Some people deeply desire a growing faith walk with God, some who long for more. God is waiting for those who want to experience an intimate relationship with Him. In God's Presence, the Believer is called by name, feels His nearness, and can hear Him speak, face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. In Christ, Unmeasured Grace and unspeakable joy fuse in unrestrained fellowship! I want MORE of this! What do you want?  ~dho 

Pentecost Sunday!

"Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place;

I can feel His mighty power and His grace.

I can hear the brush of angels' wings.

I see glory on each face;

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place."

As promised, Jesus returns to Heaven to be with God, but His presence will remain with mankind in the form of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus returns to heaven, the Holy Spirit descends to the earliest believers like a mighty windstorm, like flaming tongues of fire. The living breath of God becomes the life source of the faithful. God's plan for the Christian church begins with the outpouring of His Spirit in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago. For anyone believing in Christ, the Spirit leads and teaches, intercedes and empowers, even in this place, at this moment! 

Spirit of the Living God, fill me with Your presence. Holy Fire, kindle my soul. Gift of God, open my heart to truth and wisdom. Anywhere and all the time, You refresh my soul! ~ dho   

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 
Acts 2:1-4 NLT

" . . . Spirit of holiness, on us descend. . ."

Covenant Benefits ~ Series on Friendship

"Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was declared right with God because of what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did - by his actions. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, 'Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous.' He was even called 'the friend of God'." James 2:21-23 NLT (see Genesis 22, story of Abraham and Isaac)

How does this New Testament verse describe Abraham, and what does his behavior reveal about his faith? First, after remembering Abraham's ancestry and the Jewish lineage, Scripture tells us he is declared righteous by God because of his obedience to God's command. We then understand Abraham's faith foundation comes from fully trusting God. Abraham's faith was made complete in his obedience. Then, God calls Abraham "friend". 

Last week in defining friendship, one idea centered around a trusted confidential relationship. Abraham fully trusts God, and we understand this in observing his actions. Back up a few decades and read Genesis 15; God makes a covenant with Abram, long before this act of obedience demonstrates his faithfulness. A Promised Land and many descendants will become his legacy. When Abraham is 99 years old, God again blesses Abraham, renewing His covenant calling him the father of many nations and millions of descendants, and promising him a son, to be named Isaac. This relationship exemplifies a trusted confidential relationship that evolves into a genuine friendship with God.

A lifestyle of spontaneous obedience is the most compelling evidence of our friendship and affection for Christ. [Blackaby Study Bible] A growing intimacy with Christ reveals an increasing awareness of His Presence. Christ chooses us, but our hesitation or reluctance or denial to respond creates barriers. Without an intimate relationship with Christ, our offerings to the world are of limited significance. Christ meets us where we are and offers us His covenant benefits.  How does your lifestyle describe you, and what does your behavior reveal about your faith? Can God call you friend? ~dho

Privileged Intimacy ~ Series on Friendship

". . . I have called you friends. . ." John 15:15

Scholars find numerous references to the philosophy of friendship when they study the great thinkers of centuries long ago like Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. Frequently the Greco-Roman writers discuss the topic of friendship suggesting it takes a variety of forms, as alliances or patrons or clients. Greeks traditionally hold a concept that friendship is mutual companionship, emphasizing loyalty and equality. The Greeks maintain that a true friendship is an intimate relationship where there is mutual sharing of possessions and confidences. This is the kind of friendship that Jesus reveals in John chapter 15, when He denotes the differences between a servant and a friend. 

When John retells these last conversations of Jesus, he uses the Greek word philios for friends. This means a friend dearly loved, a personal, intimate bond, a trusted, confidential relationship. In one of His last conversations, Jesus is telling the Disciples that they are His dearly loved and trusted friends. Jesus describes His deep love for them, "I've loved you the way my Father has loved Me." (vs.10) During these last hours together, Jesus once again reveals Himself as Lord and Master, but instead of servants, He calls them friends. Friendship with Jesus exceeds loyalty; He defines holy friendship as a promise of privileged intimacy. - dho 

Genuine Friendship ~ Series on Friendship

We can never replace a friend.  When a man is fortunate enough to have several, he finds they are all different.  No one has a double in friendship.  

Johann Von Schiller

Although we all have friends for seasons, those who come and go, they are individually unique, irreplaceable for those particular times and certainly not forgotten. Yet, as new seasons arrive, it would seem God does fill their void, sometimes, both different and same. I also find those who remain true soul friends, despite time and distance, are NOT so irreplaceable. When circumstances claim them, for a while or for eternity, their place remains; because life returns them with time, in planned reunions or at unexpected intersections. In these moments, we either pick up where we left off with today and then, or we pause reflective and grateful. Genuine friendship is a matter of the soul, a holy engraving by the Giver. They are all different! ~dho

"And these God-chose lives all around - what splendid friends they make!"

Psalms 16:3 The Message