Everyday Freedom

How the Gospel Sets Us Free in Everyday Life by Jared Wilson



How the Gospel Sets Us Free in Everyday Life from Crossway on Vimeo.

More Energy and More Power

The message that the gospel has in terms of freedom for a man’s everyday life is really a counter-intuitive message. You would think that knowing that the work is done, that the bar has been crossed, that the standard has been met by Jesus, and that we now totally measure up would lead us to go on autopilot.

However, what really happens is that, when a man understands that he measures up and the victory is sure, he actually finds more energy and more power. One great illustration is when you’re way ahead in a basketball game and you’re winning, the energy seems to come from nowhere. You just seem to have this boundless energy because the victory is sure.

On the flip side, the further behind you are—if you are losing the game—the harder it becomes. You see the mountain you have to climb to catch up and you just feel dejected and defeated.

I think the gospel works a bit like that. Somehow to know that we are totally justified—that the victory is won—actually empowers our hard work. There’s a joy and a freedom there. The man who has been set free by the gospel is really free and really empowered to work with a sense of worship.

(Jared C. Wilson is the director of content strategy at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, and a contributor to the ESV Men’s Devotional Bible.)

Facing Fear

From Darrin Patrick - Face Your Fear

Courage is a word typically reserved for extraordinary circumstances — the soldier in battlefield, the first responder at the scene of a wreck, the nurse in the emergency room — where split-second decisions can save a life. Most of us don’t have to employ that kind of courage, but we all face fearful situations.

The fears we face:

- defending an unpopular course of action in a meeting
- addressing performance issues with a direct report
- confronting negativity in the break room
- leaving work early (or on time) to be with your family
- asking forgiveness from your spouse
- challenging the anger or frustration of a spouse
- disciplining your child’s behavior

Every fear we face tempts us to run which inflates but does not remove fear. Every fear we face tempts us to respond in like kind — with fear.

Fighting fear out of fear doesn’t work.

Our typical strategy is to fight fear with fear. We address our direct report so our supervisor doesn’t do the same with us. We head home risking the disappointment of our boss so we don’t experience our spouses’ disappointment. Fighting fear out of fear may get us an immediate result, but it doesn’t build lasting courage.

To become courageous, we need to fight fear with God. In a letter to a young man wrestling with self-doubt, Paul writes, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control” (2 Timothy 1:7). Here, Paul is talking about the Holy Spirit. Notice, he doesn’t appeal to Timothy’s natural abilities, nor does he threaten him with some form of judgment. He says, “Look, you’re not alone to face your fear! God is with you! God is for you! God is in you!

Facing Your Fears

Good post by Darrin Patrick on facing your fears in the new year-

A new year, a new list. Right?

Before you think my inner cynic is coming out, know that I am not against New Year’s resolutions. I just don’t think they are the first list we should be writing down. And that’s part of the reason we lose traction right around the Super Bowl.

This year, start with your fears. List them!

That is what motivates most of our resolutions. Literally, we can be running from our fear on the treadmill. Or lifting the weight of fear off our chests. A friend of mine, who is now a personal trainer, confided in me that he still sees “that scrawny kid” when he looks in the mirror. His arms are twice the size of my thighs!

You can accomplish a lot trying to avoid painful feelings. But you also miss out on a lot of opportunities. Fear not only distorts what you see in the mirror, it causes you to fixate on yourself. Living in fear blinds you to the needs of people in and around your life. It saps your energy for risk and adventure. Everything you’ve got is spent holding up this shield of resolutions.

In Psalm 3:3, David describes God as “a shield about me.” The Bible often describes God as a shield. In David’s day, there were actually two types of shields used. There was a lighter, round one that you could carry in one hand, and hold a weapon in the other. But there was also a long, rectangular shield that was so large at times that another person had to carry it.

When Goliath came out against God’s people, the “giant” had his own shield-bearer (1 Samuel 17:41). When David heard this, he left his baggage behind (v22) and went out with no armor (v39). When David wrote Psalm 3, I imagine he recalled this encounter in mind. He was not alone. God was his shield-bearer.

If you are going to say no to fear, you need to see God as David saw Him. Don’t try to lift it on your own. Let Him take care of it. He’s got big enough arms!

Dismantled

“Grace dismantles your confidence in you, while it gives you more hope and courage than you have ever had.”

            — Paul David Tripp @PaulTripp

HT: Of First Importance

So Flawed, So Loved

“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to died for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”

             — Tim Keller The Reason For God  (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 181

Hat Tip: Of First Importance

The Freest Person on Earth

Wow. Just wow.

"You see, real freedom is not liberty to do what we want or the absence of distress. Real freedom is the deep-seated confidence that no matter what, God really will provide everything we need (Philippians 4:19). The person who believes this is the freest of all persons on earth, because no matter what situation they find themselves in, they have nothing to fear (Philippians 4:11). "

                        From Jon Bloom at Desiring God
       
      
 

The Source of Humility & Confidence

“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued and that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time.”

 - Timothy Keller, The Reason For God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 181.

Hat Tip:  Of First Importance