Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. -II Corinthians 3:17
The Spirit of God is the spirit of freedom. Any other spirit is born of oppression. The Spirit of God is always the Spirit of liberty. God made the birds. Humans make birdcages. When we feel God’s spirit, we recognize the freedom in that spirit. We discover that God meant us to live in freedom that God has always given to us in the form of our own will to do as we choose. Free will.
Think about receiving a large sum of money and never spending any of it. I am not advocating spending unwisely but consider using it for the betterment of our community. It would be unlikely we would have a full larder and go hungry. Most of us wouldn’t walk up 10 flights of steps when there is an elevator available. Would you think of living a life of depravation when there is no reason?
“And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” According to II Corinthians 3 you see that God does not want us to be in a captive situation. God wants us to have the freedom of the Spirit working in our lives. Because the Holy Spirit is present within us, all we need to do is reach for it in faith. If we are aware of freedom through the Holy Spirit, we live with the realization that we are sharing the knowledge of the Spirit with others.
The Spirit in us is witness that we are the children of God. We are heirs of God and we receive the freedom to belong to the home that is Gods. We are the heir to the kingdom. We are part of the family of God but this has certain obligations that come with the wonderful gift.
We are not sufficient unto ourselves but consistently in need of recommitment to the work of God. This constant recommitment provides us the grace and love to live. We are not sufficient without the closeness through prayer and meditation to know the freedom that God provide for us.
Second Corinthians 3:6 tells us also that God has made us capable people in leadership to the love and following Christ in the New Testament; the teaching of the spirit. The spirit gives life to those who follow the teaching and path that Christ tread. We can serve through the faith that we have in God through prayer and through working the prayer. Putting feet to them.
As we allow the Spirit of God to fill us we become dedicated to God. We will continually be instructed and taught the way we should recognize our freedom and direction our life should go.
God will guide us through loving direction with freedom to discipline our self so that we are not bogged down with the discipline of humankind. We are subject to man’s laws but so long as we continue in the way God leads, we will be guided to freedom to work with human laws without difficulty.
We can receive strength through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses for Christ to others in the world. The gospel is not something we go to church to hear; it is something we go from the church to tell. As Christians we live the gospel, others will listen to us as we share the freedom of the word of God.
The freedom found in the relationship with God is the Spirit of truth guiding us through our lives. Through the freedom to follow God and to learn, we can help others build a place on earth that is safe and full of Christ’s love for all.
Freedom is the key to celebrate one another in Christ rejoicing in peace and love. Freedom is resting in the enduring kindness of the Spirit’s touch. Freedom is the faithfulness to the love that is self-forgetfulness while commitment provides the opportunity of self-control through the love of God guiding us through each day of our life.
Ordained in August 2006, Rev. Suzie Chamness served as Senior Pastor of Spirit of Life MCC of New Port Richey, Fla., beginning in 2009, having served as volunteer clergy for the congregational care ministry at King of Peace MCC and as chaplain at Bon Secours Maria Manor senior care facility, both in St. Petersburg, Fla. In June 2006 she earned a masters of divinity degree from the Florida Center for Theological Studies in Miami, followed by a doctorate in ministry from Andersonville Theological Seminary.