I remember a hill beside our house in Edmonds, Washington where I lived when I was a boy of 10. The hill led to the woods, and it seemed like it was 100 feet high. Of course it wasn't, but it seemed that way when I was a boy. I can remember running with my bike as far up that hill as I could, then throwing myself and the bike down to keep it from tumbling backwards. Then I would crawl the rest of the way up the hill, dragging my bike behind me, until I reached the top.

That was the easy part!

Next I would sit on my bike at the crest of that hill, working up the courage to ride back down. When I finally did, the thrill of the ride was like nothing else, with pulse pounding and wind rushing into my face as I flew down that mountain. Those of you who remember such times know well that feeling:

It was the feeling of freedom!

I'm a little over a half of a century past those days, and I have watched with sadness as the freedoms of our great nation seem to be as distant as the memories of my childhood. Wicked men and women with a seemingly unquenchable lust for power and money have done everything the can to steal our freedoms and, at times, we have just sat and watched them do it. It's kind of sad when you really think about it, but what can we do?

 

I think we all have our own ideas as to that, but maybe the solution is much simpler than we think. Maybe the solution was given 2,000 years ago and we have just failed to pay attention. What is that solution, you may be wondering? It is simply this:

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:31-32, NKJV

 

Do you see it? When a person believes in Christ Jesus, listens to what He says, and then continues to do what He says, that person begins to know the truth. And that truth will bring freedom, first in the most important area of our lives - the spiritual, but then also in the area that is also important to us - the physical.

 

The fact is that for too many years people have preferred and surrounded themselves with leaders who promise them "goodies". And we vote for these people and give them power over our lives in exchange for these goodies. And, in effect, we exchange our freedoms for things that really don't amount to a hill of beans, and then we wonder what happened. What happened is that we have forgotten the truth. As a result, we have lost our freedoms.

 

That would be bad enough, but we have sold not only our freedom, but also the freedom of our children and grandchildren.

 

So what can we do? Since we cannot return to the carefree days of our youth when we instinctively knew that there was nothing better than freedom, maybe we might want to consider returning to something even more important: The truth that those who believe in Christ and live in His ways will be free. It's not until we accept that most important truth that will surely set us free, that we can then go about figuring out how to take care of our physical bondage that has resulted from our abandoning God in the first place.

 

I don't know about you, but I am ready to start the process of regaining some of the precious freedoms that we have lost of late. That process of restoring freedom begins with the truth, and that truth can only be found within the Word of God! Are you willing to take the time and effort that it will take to learn those precious truths from God's Word? If not, don't be looking for freedom - it has never been an option for the lazy. But, if you are willing to begin the effort of reading the Bible, you will find the truth and that truth will set you free!

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—

and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15, NIV

 

When I was younger I loved to play any type of sport. Sometimes when playing one of these games I would get the feeling that I just couldn't lose. It was a rare feeling indeed, but those of you who have experienced it will understand. It was the feeling that you could not miss a shot, that you could not fail to reach base, or that you just couldn't fail in whatever you attempted, so it was best that no one would be foolish enough to try and stop you for they would just be wasting their time. You were going to win and that was that!

 

It's a heady feeling to know that you cannot lose, and it provides a sense of confidence that allows you to perform at levels that you might not have previously believed were possible. It's true that we still had to play the game by the rules, but with that fact going without saying we felt like we were invincible. There is nothing quite like that feeling when it comes. It is a moment to be savored and embraced.

 

What would it be like if we were not afraid of dying?

 

Now I'm not talking about having a careless attitude towards this precious life that God has given us, and I am certainly not talking about having an arrogant attitude that somehow nothing can touch us because of who we are. I am simply talking about relying on the powerful promise that God has given all of His children through Christ. For as the verse above clearly reveals, one of the reasons that Christ died was so that he could take away Satan's hold over us, and thereby freeing us from the fear of death.

 

Would such an understanding help you get through the difficult times in your life? It is true that all have sinned and that all deserve death, but it is also true that God sent His Son to take our place. Of course we are unworthy of such a gift, but it is nevertheless a gift that we have been given. Once we understand the magnitude of this gift, I believe that we will accept God's terms, for we all hopefully know that we still have to go by the rules of the master if we want to win the prize.

 

And once we understand and accept God's way, we simply cannot lose. It is an understanding that is worth pursuing and, once obtained by the grace of God, one that is to be savored and embraced. It is a rare state, indeed, but one that is absolutely attainable for those who are willing to live for the Father and the Son.

 

What would it be like if you were not afraid of dying?

 

 

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 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. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.

“But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 12:22-24, 27-32, NKJV

 

There's a story told about a time efficiency expert who was making a presentation before the employees of a large business. He took out a large glass jar and placed as many rocks in it as he could. He then asked his audience if the jar was full, and they all agreed that it was. He then proceeded to take a small sack of gravel and pour it in, followed by a smaller sack of sand, and finally a pitcher of water, pouring it in until the jar overflowed.

 

He then asked his now enlightened audience if the jar was now, really full. They acknowledged that it was. Then he hit them with the question, "What lesson can we learn from this illustration?" One man responded that the obvious answer was that no matter how full our schedule, we can always fit in more. To the rest of the group's surprise, the speaker informed them that the man was wrong, that he has missed the point entirely.

 

So, what was the point? It was simply this: If you want the big rocks in, you will have to put them in first!

 

Isn't this what Jesus was trying to get across to us when He used this illustration nearly 2,000 years ago? It is true that we have to eat, and dress, and have someplace to live - Jesus denied none of these obvious facts. But He did show, once and for all, that we have to put first things first! If we are always looking to take care of the physical, will we really have enough time to take care of the most important?

 

Or... will we just make a mess of things by trying to take care of the spiritual after our lives are already overflowing with the physical things that we all must have, but which our Heavenly Father has already ensured that we will obtain if we will only put Him first?

 

Better determine what the big rocks are and put them in first! 

Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

Genesis 41:33-35, ESV

 

It's all over the news and social media. America's store shelves are emptier than they have been in most of our lifetimes. It seems like there are consequences to certain types of behavior... who could have predicted such a thing?

 

A better question is what are we to do now. As a classically trained economist, I have an idea, and that idea is the same one our grandmothers and great grandmothers had without having been handicapped by being trained in formal economics. As a matter of fact, it's the same advice that God had Joseph give Pharaoh when he saw lean times coming: Stock up a bit!

 

Of course, we have to be careful that by doing so we do not tear down our old barns just to build new ones to hoard so much stuff that we couldn't use it in several lifetimes, but I do believe there is a prudent middle ground that most of us can figure out. Regardless, whatever you do is pretty much between you, your family and God, so we just need to make sure that we are taking proper care of our families while still giving first consideration to God. It's a bit tricky, I know, but that's one of the things that God gives us wisdom for.

 

A more serious problem than our stores running low on our favorite items is what has been happening to so many people in recent years, and this thing that has been happening is that people have forgotten to put first things first. That's where the words of Jesus come in so handy. You will likely recall the account of when He was being tempted to put physical things over His duty to God.

 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:1-4, ESV

 

It is true that all men must eat, but it is also true that our primary concern is to feed our souls. Satan understood that Jesus knew this, but was apparently hoping in His state of duress that He would put aside God's commands for a moment while He took care of His immediate hunger. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He never put the physical first, and by living in such a way He gave us a standard by which we can live.

 

The point of all this is that we do live in a physical world, and the physical world's problems are knocking at our door right now. So it's not wrong for us to recognize this and take proper measures to make sure that the physical needs of our families are taken care of, but we have to make sure we take our duty serious by first taking care of their spiritual needs. Again, this can be a challenge, but God has given us all fine minds and He expects us to use them.

 

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty

Proverbs 22:3, NIV