Freedom to…

 

Easter Sunday celebrates a beautiful gift each of us is offered, through Jesus, to re-establish a relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Through the ultimate sacrifice, offering His life for the ransom of our sin, we receive righteousness in exchange for justified condemnation.  Because of this, we are offered freedom.  Freedom holds opportunities for us to live in a way we would, otherwise, never know.

 

The freedom to ask is set readily before us.  We can ask for what we need, for healing, for provision, for needs of others, for that which we long…even for our heart’s deepest desires.  Several times, Jesus shares about asking with those who were following Him.  From asking in His Name, to the Father knowing what you need before you ask, to God receiving glory by our asking, Jesus wanted them and us to know there is freedom to ask.  But, there is more than asking…

 

The freedom to receive is also made known.  Coupled with asking, Jesus affirms receiving as something to expect.  Jesus knew the willingness of the Father to freely give; so we, in turn, can freely receive (John 11:22).  Receiving will, also, complete our joy (John 16:24).  He compares our ability, as parents, to give good gifts, so too, the Father gives good gifts to those who ask (Matthew 7:11).  Because the Father gives good gifts, we have the freedom to open our hands and receive them.  But, there is more than just receiving…

 

The freedom to give generously is encouraged.  The example is set by God, who gives generously to us, so we can give generously to others as well.  Providing food, meeting needs, offering time or encouraging with words, unsparingly, brings glory to the Father.  I think He smiles when we freely give as He has encouraged us to do.  But, there is also something beyond giving…

 

The freedom to share is of foremost importance.  We are commissioned to go share what God so generously has offered to all mankind…forgiveness of sin through His Son’s freewill offering of Himself.  To do this, we can ask for His help, receive His empowerment to be bold and generously give our time to share the greatest gift ever given.  The freedom to share what changes lives from the inside out is both a gift to others and a privilege to us.  There is nothing better.

 

After celebrating the greatest gift ever given and living in the freedom offered through that gift—WE MUST SHARE—for others to have the opportunity to experience the same.  Take a moment to grasp how free you truly are and don’t withhold it from a world in need of living in freedom.