Seth Barnes - Freedom

"Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17

As a father, I delight to see my children make their own decisions. God is the same way. He wants to see us choose. He made us creative; He wants to see us create. He gave us the gift of flight; He wants to see us soar.

Life seems to conspire against the exercise of our freedom. Whenever we organize a government, it begins to encroach on our ability to choose. Yesterday I learned that Rudolf's (a local restaurant) had to close down its live music piano bar because the permits cost too much. Instead they have to use a player piano.

The church similarly over time is inevitably run by law-making bureaucrats who define theology and praxis ever more narrowly until the abundant life Jesus promised becomes a thin gruel and a crust of bread.

Every new generation has the opportunity to fight for and win its freedoms all over again. It is inevitable that the rule-makers will rise up and find ways to circumscribe freedom. Judicious, Spirit-led rule makers, though they be few, will occasionally fight back and seek an appropriate balance. They must be nurtured and applauded for their courage.