FREEDOM THROUGH CONFIDENCE
In him we have access to God with freedom, in the confidence borne of trust in him. Eph. 3:12, N.E.B.
A young boy who was crippled in one foot was cautioned by his mother not to run. Indeed, while in fact he could outrun his younger sister, he was told that he was not able to run. Relying on the information given him by the one he most trusted, he ceased this activity, slowly lost what ability he had, and ended up a recluse. This seemed to confirm his mother's assessment.
What a tragedy! And it is equally so with those of us who have listened to the interferences of the evil one. We have a crippled left foot, as it were, and the devil tells us that we cannot run--to the Father! His reasons are all lies.
First of all, Satan tells us that the Father is angry. You rarely run toward someone who is angry with you! Adam and Eve surely did not. To this falsehood he adds a subtle insinuation: God doesn't like cripples in the first place. He tolerates their approach only after they have done something to appease Him.
God deals directly with this misleading information. He gives us better facts, both about us and about Himself. And in order that He can be the most trusted source of information in our lives, He lived out the truth about Himself in the person of His Son. As we see God in Christ, we begin to trust in Him. As our trust grows, we become more confident in our approach to Him until, at last, we know that we have total freedom in or access to Him. Some even start to run toward Him!
If only we could grasp an even greater truth: we do not need to stay crippled! God is the great restorer. In our flight into His presence we find that He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or conceive" (Eph. 3:20, N.E.B.). For God desires us not only to be able to run but to run and not be weary. He has it in His plans that we shall renew our strength, mounting up with wings like eagles (Isa. 40:31).
Our God is the one we should trust the most. He has the most reliable information. He has only our best interests, our highest achievements, in mind. And He is eager and ready to have us run into His presence. We might even hasten there on wings!
In him we have access to God with freedom, in the confidence borne of trust in him. Eph. 3:12, N.E.B.
A young boy who was crippled in one foot was cautioned by his mother not to run. Indeed, while in fact he could outrun his younger sister, he was told that he was not able to run. Relying on the information given him by the one he most trusted, he ceased this activity, slowly lost what ability he had, and ended up a recluse. This seemed to confirm his mother's assessment.
What a tragedy! And it is equally so with those of us who have listened to the interferences of the evil one. We have a crippled left foot, as it were, and the devil tells us that we cannot run--to the Father! His reasons are all lies.
First of all, Satan tells us that the Father is angry. You rarely run toward someone who is angry with you! Adam and Eve surely did not. To this falsehood he adds a subtle insinuation: God doesn't like cripples in the first place. He tolerates their approach only after they have done something to appease Him.
God deals directly with this misleading information. He gives us better facts, both about us and about Himself. And in order that He can be the most trusted source of information in our lives, He lived out the truth about Himself in the person of His Son. As we see God in Christ, we begin to trust in Him. As our trust grows, we become more confident in our approach to Him until, at last, we know that we have total freedom in or access to Him. Some even start to run toward Him!
If only we could grasp an even greater truth: we do not need to stay crippled! God is the great restorer. In our flight into His presence we find that He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or conceive" (Eph. 3:20, N.E.B.). For God desires us not only to be able to run but to run and not be weary. He has it in His plans that we shall renew our strength, mounting up with wings like eagles (Isa. 40:31).
Our God is the one we should trust the most. He has the most reliable information. He has only our best interests, our highest achievements, in mind. And He is eager and ready to have us run into His presence. We might even hasten there on wings!
RSS Feed
