The High Mountain Winds Of Freedom

We are born into unpredictability.

"Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:7-8 NKJV

Our directions change. Our intensity changes. On a natural level people expect moral consistency but what a spiritual person has is spiritual buoyancy. Freedom.

"If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain," - 1 Timothy 6:3-6 ESV

Knowledge can puff up but grace understanding and emphasis ushers in contentment. Godliness isn't gain. It provides stability on a level above normal consistency. Grace can have or give all that it has away if that is what love would do in each situation.

"And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." - Isaiah 35:8-10 ESV

Wind blows in unpredictable ways up on that high path of holiness. High up as it is there is safety there. There is freedom there. The view is marvelous there. Let us worship returning as ransomed ones. Let's boldly go to the throne of grace. God is always on His throne waiting to be gracious to us.

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Weeding the Garden

In Spurgeon's 'Morning and Evening' Devotional he speaks about the cultivation of contentment versus man's natural propensity towards despair and complaint. Thorns and thistles that just spring up on their own blown in from somewhere or waiting in the soil to show themselves. Precious things take diligence and directed energies.

I find this to be true. Some seasons I find that the seeds of discouragement have sprouted and grown up seemly overnight and if given any time at all to mature they become well rooted in my emotional landscape.

I don't think contentment is Heavenly in origin. There are plenty of people that have seasons of contentment after working hard to accomplish something and enjoying the fruit of their labor.

The fruits of the Spirit are Heavenly in origin.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Gal 5:22

These are cultivated in us but not by us. They are the Spirit's fruits. The hard work we rest in was not done by us... it was done by Christ. The rest that is real and lasting rest is the Shalom that is seated at the right hand of God. The prince of peace is my peace. God waters my garden.

Do I weed my garden. Yes. Even this morning I will pluck some nasties out and chuck them into the fire of my faith as I am stirred up once again in love, what Jesus has done and what He is like. I am still not ready to face the day. That's alright... I will be.

I won't pretend that only Christians have houses. Lots of folk have houses. Their houses look much nicer than mine in fact. My house however is built on the Rock and when the storm comes I will still have a house and not a spiritual insurance claim.

It's not because I am some great guy. I am not. It's all about location... Location, Location, Location...

Contentment is cultivated and it takes time. What feeds and builds the lasting kind is the evidence of God's faithfulness. In the end if we have rest it will be because of His hard work not ours.

Watch out giants a worship team leads this army! I have a sling in my hand and a promise in my pocket with your name on it.