Set Free

Yesterday, we celebrated our Independence Day here in America. I am so grateful and thankful to live in a country in which I am freely able to practice my faith and worship as I see fit, but I couldn't help but ponder on freedom and what freedom truly means. My political freedom has been won by the hard fought sacrifice of patriots who hold to the ideal of a nation where all men and women are created equal and have rights given to them by God, not government. As a Christian, my freedom comes first and foremost from my Savior, Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us, 

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, I am no longer a slave to sin, to fear, to desire that will destroy me. I am truly FREE. 

"So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." - John 8:36

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:32

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:1-2

Whether you live in this country or not, I implore you to tightly hold on to the freedom that has been given to you in Christ. "Live as a people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil." (1 Peter 2:16). Don't trade your freedom for the allure of sin. 

Second Peter 2 is direct and to the point, and honestly not an easy chapter to read. It warns of the dangers of false teachers. Those who look "free" but really are slaves to sin. Who speak flattering, but empty words. They promise liberty, but they themselves are slaves to corruption. They look free, and claim to be free, but they are really slaves to their own desires. Even worse, they lead other believers down the same path of destruction. 

"The promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them."

- 2 Peter 2:19-21

The exhortation from Peter is to be wary of false teachers, but I believe is also a reminder to believers not to fall back into sinful patterns lest you yourself become enslaved in sinful bondage and lead others astray. David Guzik has this to say: "It is better for a person to have never known a thing about Jesus than to hear some truth, hold to it for a season, and then later reject it. Greater revelation has a greater accountability."

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

- Galatians 5:1

I'm preaching to myself when I say: Stand firm in your freedom. Don't fall back into the bondage that Christ has freed you from. You know what Christ has saved you from, you have experience the feeling of freedom - don't reject it and return to your sin. Claim your freedom in Christ and walk in it. 

Page Details

I used Distress Oxides and stamps to create this page. Since it was a relatively long title, I used words and alphas from a few different stamp sets to pull it all together. 

  

  

Wishing you all a blessed week celebrating your FREEDOM IN THE LORD!

Janelle

@journalingjoy

I am Free Indeed!

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."John 8:36

This passage in the book of John is one of the most notable and powerful promises found in the Bible.  We are free indeed!  As we near Independence Day, and we celebrate the freedom we have in our great country--freedoms that many other countries do not have or enjoy--we remember the price that was paid for this freedom.  Many lives were given for us to be able to experience the freedom we have in the United States.  (For any readers in other countries, the same probably goes for you and the freedoms you have--nothing ever comes without a cost.)

But Jesus was not talking about political, social, or economic freedom.  He was talking about spiritual freedom.  Freedom from the bondage and slavery of sin.  When Adam and Eve chose their own way over God's way in the Garden of Eden, and thereby rejecting His intimacy, they allowed Sin to take this world captive.  And all humanity since has been  slave to sin, because "everyone who sins is a slave to sin..." (v. 34). However, Jesus took on humanity, lived a perfect, sinless life, and then died a perfect death, so we don't have to continue to be slaves to sin.  He gave His life for our freedom.

The gift of life is free.  It is a free choice.  We are free from sin and slavery IN and THROUGH Jesus.  We have but to accept it by faith, and allow Him to remove the sin from our daily lives.  He removed the burden of sin from our back.  However, we too often take it back again, and again, and again.  Jesus says we are free from the slavery and bondage of lust, of discontentment, of appetite, of worrying, of anger, and the list goes on.  But sometimes we are too comfortable being a slave.  The Israelites often grumbled after escaping from their slavery in Egypt, and longed to go back to their state of bondage!  That makes no sense to us, but we really are no different!  We might want to be free from our sins, but we don't really want to give them up.  

I'm not saying it's an easy thing to do, to give sin up, to be free.  But it is simple.  Jesus has promised, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!" (emphasis mine).  He adds the "indeed" to emphasize how sure of a freedom it is.  He has already made us free--but the reality of the freedom in our lives depends on our daily submission and surrender to Him.  Our freedom actually comes in surrender.  Its a paradox, but it's a powerful paradox. 

I used the newly-released Free Indeed stamp set for this page because it has both patriotic and Biblical words and images that suit journaling this passage.  I first stamped and embossed the  various firework images in white.  Next, I blended some Distress Oxide Inks over those images, which resulted in a resist-effect.  I then stamped the words to spell out "Christ [has] set me free [so] I am free indeed."  I didn't get a super clear stamping on the word "free", so I ended up doing some white detailing with a gel pen to cover it.  That lead to me doing the same detailing on all the bolder-type words, since I liked the effect.  I stamped a few more of the smaller images in the various red, light blue and darker blue inks, made a tab out of navy washi tape, and topped it with a navy and white bow.  

Friends, don't go back into your bondage to sin.  Accept your freedom, and be free--INDEED!

Red, White, Blue and Freedom

Happy long weekend, friends! I'm sharing some patriotic inspiration today, just in time for the fourth of July holiday. I love creating Bible pages that are relevant to current events and that includes vacations, birthdays, and holidays. The fourth of July makes me think about freedom, both freedoms I have as an American citizen and freedoms that afforded to me as a Jesus follower. Here are some great Scriptures to consider journaling this weekend:

Galatians 5:1  “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Galatians 2:4 “…our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus…”

John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/21-great-bible-verses-about-freedom/#ixzz4DC9s7ABL

I designed these two pages at two separate times, but used color to unify them! I actually started on the right side first, dwelling on what HE can do through ME.

I (attempted) to draw Rosie the Riveter and added light brown ink in the background for a vintage touch. The left sided page centered around my most recent Outline Alpha set. '

I stamped the words first and then handlettered around them.

Red and blue watercolor make a simple and patriotic background.

 Hope your weekend is filled with fun, friends, (thoughts of) freedom & creative worship!

XOXOXO

Rebecca