There is this new movie, Frozen, which is a big hit with my kids, and a lot of others as well. One of the main story lines is about this princess born with great power, but she lives in fear of discovery. Her parents keep her hidden away in solitude. There comes a day when her power is revealed and she runs away to break free. When she is alone on a mountain top she sings a song of freedom from fear and freedom from having to be perfect. Ultimately it is a song of embracing the power within you.
As I was listening to my daughter sing this song the other day something occurred to me. When we are in the world, we are surrounded by fear and solitude. There is no real help outside of what we can do on our own. And at the end, we are alone in our journey.
After we receive Christ, we have a great power. We have great freedom; from trying to be perfect because of grace and freedom from fear because of our salvation. We can confidently say, Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery!”
But our empowered ice queen then makes a crucial error. She thinks that she can live apart from people in her mountaintop castle. She thinks that she is in no need of anyone else. It is only in the end that she recognizes her error, but is also presented with the solution. Simply put, it is love. True love is the balance that saves her. She has freedom but without love, she is still lost and alone.
Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians. In Chapter 9:19-23 he says, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more…I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” He continues on to chapter 13 where he speaks of the greatest gift: LOVE.
When we have been set free by God’s love in Christ, our response is to live in freedom, but with a view of love towards those around us. We are called to a life of loving service to one another.
– Bill Williams, Jackson Church of Christ, Jackson, MO
Scripture of the Week
Romans 12:9-10 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Think About It
Pathfinder of the Sea
In Richmond, Virginia, there is a statue of a man sitting on a chair with a Bible on the floor beside his left foot. This monument has an inscription: Matthew Fontaine Maury, Pathfinder of the Seas, the genius who first snatched from the oceans and atmosphere the secret of their laws. His inspiration: Holy Writ, Psalm 8:8; Ecclesiastes 1:6”.
This statue was placed there, along with the inscription in 1929, by the US Naval Institute.
Born in 1806, Commodore Maury became a renown American astronomer, historian, oceanographer, meteorologist, cartographer, geologist, and educator. But more than that, he was a Bible-believer who trusted the inerrancy of the Word of God. If the Bible said there are paths in the seas, he should be able to find them — and find them he did! A fact which has become of tremendous benefit to all seamen.
The passage Maury read says, “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas” (Psa. 8:5-8).
Although written many centuries ago, the Bible is a modern book. Primarily, it is not a scientific text. It was given to man as a perfect spiritual guide. It is a source book for spiritual development and soul culture. Yet, the Bible is scientifically accurate.
How appropriate it is that this psalm should close with the following words: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” ~~ John Gibson, Little Rock, ARSomething to Smile About
