freedom

I've been thinking about freedom again. I think it's funny that we try to keep people in boxes. When I think about those things in regard to Christians, I think of all the "do's" and "don'ts" placed on us. And right now I'm thinking more specifically of those placed on us by other Christians. Through the years we've carried so many rules around. So many rules that Jesus Himself didn't put on us. We have a code of conduct to follow instead of listening to God's own Spirit in our lives. As long as you follow the rules you're ok. Jesus had something to say about that. He said the Pharisees washed the outside of the cup but the inside was still filthy. It was all an outward show. The cleansing has to come on the inside and the outside. The cup doesn't serve it's purpose if it's only clean on the outside.
So back to all the rules.
In my opinion a lot of these rules were put on us because of fear, fear by those in leadership. They were afraid of freedom. Freedom that Christ had given us. Rules were a method of controlling. Rules meant MEN could be in charge instead of Christ. Oh, but I tell you...there is freedom. Christ isn't telling you to follow rules. He tells us there is a right way to live, and His life was a picture of that. But that life can't be lived by following rules, it's lived by a change at the very center of our being. That change is a change from living according to a warped and fallen state to one of a redeemed, corrected, straightened state. So you see that living according to rules is only us trying to live this new life without the necessary changes on the inside. And that is impossible, and impossibly frustrating to everyone trying to accomplish it. And those incredibly frustrated people continue to make more rules for themselves and others in an effort to get where they can't possibly get to.
So again I find I would need to write a book to fully convey what I would like to, but I'm not that talented.

Thomas

I brought this from my myspace:

I've finally found the words for something that really shook me.
With the stuff that happened with my mom I found myself questioning a lot of what I believe. I was wondering why I would be rocked to the core if I really believed what I claimed to. The fact that I questioned worried me. I started thinking I was a total fake, a guy full of someone else's words, with hardly any of it real to myself.
But as the dust cloud of confusion stirred up by my anger began to settle I began to see. What I saw was that I was still just a man. I have emotions. I have doubts. I have fears. And I saw that all of that does not change Him. He knows all of that about me! He sees me with such clarity I can't imagine it. Jesus didn't kick Thomas out of the club because of his doubts...He called Thomas to come and see, and believe! He loved Thomas, He embraced him. God knows we have a lot of growing to do. We've strayed along way off from all that He created us to be. When am I going to accept His love unconditionally? Most of us have been told He loves us unconditionally, but do we accept His love uncondtionally. I still catch myself trying to earn His love now and again. Oh, if I could just accept it!! If WE could just accept it!! What are you keeping between Him and you? What makes you think He can't love you? What makes you think He can't love you the way you are?
God is not going to cast me aside because I have some struggles. He invites me to examine Him, to find the truth and to believe. This is God who turned Saul into Paul!
Lord thank you for never leaving me, and for promising to finish what You began in me!

my mind is so humbled by His greatness