Joel M Bradshaw

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

Paul in this chapter was needing to be bold again with the Corinthian church. And so Paul wrote about the confidence he had to so so. He tied this to the new covenant with God that Christians enjoy. And how ministry is reflected in this covenant. This is also a great chapter proclaiming the deity of the Holy Spirit. He is called the Lord. He is the equal of God the Father and God the Son.

Now that I’ve set the context, I wanted to ponder four Christian heart freedoms momentarily.

1. TRUST. We are free to trust God. You may struggle with this now, but then this becomes your great heart adventure! Trusting God. He is faithful and trustworthy. We have the freedom to let go of our control issues and trust Him. We can trust God especially in moments of anxiety and stress. We trust that he has the future also in hand, so our worries dont weigh upon us as much. We actually can have hope! God’s got this!
2. OBEY. We have the freedom to obey God. You might see this as limiting your freedom, but not me. I have good bosses who have provided me a clear ministry lane and I find great joy in running in that lane. Now picture the lane God has for you. He has in the Bible set expectations and boundaries for you as you run. But the freedom to obey and serve with joy knowing that what you do and how you are matters to God!
3. BELONG. Our identity is now centered in Christ. With that comes purpose. We have security in this. We dont have to walk on eggshells with God. We know what he expects. My dogs get their purpose and belonging from my wife and me. They have peace and joy in our home. Now imagine the God who chose you and saved you.
4. REST. I can rest knowing that my pain has a purpose. My struggles ultimately lead to God’s glory. God knows me, leads me, and cares for me. My friends, bitterness doesn’t have to be the default heart setting anymore. We can be forgiven by God and by others. You also can forgive. Anxiety has answers centered in God. Our depressing stories that we maintain now have wonderful replacements centered in biblical truth. We can rest knowing that God is both God and good.—JMB