When you think of freedom, how do you see that word applying to your life? Are you free to do whatever you please? Or, do you see yourself free to do whatever God pleases?
We looked at the pilgrim story last week and saw that their gratitude was tied to spiritual blessings first and foremost. Material blessings came as a result of their spiritual lives.
The fruit followed their faith.
If you are in control of your life apart from God, you may find yourself free to choose to do things your way but that freedom may be deceptive. If we are not following God, we are prone to sin and sin is the enemy of spiritual freedom. Sin actually enslaves. Sin separates us from God and weighs us down. Sin is a burden that we were never created to bear. God wants to bear our sin for us. God wants to set us free by His grace and mercy. God loves us and desires us to be truly free through His forgiveness of our sins.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Are you approaching Thanksgiving with a Pilgrim heart? Does the freedom we have in our First Amendment to worship God resonate as part of our Christian heritage? True worship takes into account that God has accomplished on the cross everything we need to truly live a successful life. ALL of our sins were paid for by Christ, we are saved from death by His death. The wages of sin is death but God has taken away our sin and the death penalty that goes with it by laying down His life for us. To the degree that you see your sins forgiven, to that degree you will have a thankful heart. If you see Christ’s sacrifice as full payment for all your sins – past, present and future – you will have great reason to rejoice! In fact, the more sin you have forgiven, the more you will give thanks! Here is a beautiful example of gratitude given to us in Luke 7:36-50.
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
