Free my Mind for Good Things II ...

Friday, Oct 25, 2013. We need to stay a little further on this topic: freedom of the mind. What does it mean? What does it NOT mean? There are important remarks to be made!

What you should not do! …

Let us start with the biblical advice: “everything is possible, but not everything is good”. The Apostle Paul argues with respect to the freedom which Christians are given in Christ Jesus. God offers them new life in Christ, a life we cannot earn, but just accept and live in it.

The freedom we are given is not the freedom of ignorance. It is not the freedom to search our own good only. It is not the freedom to treat others badly. It is not the freedom to destroy our own body or our mind by bad habits, by alcohol, by words which insult others. All this is just not the freedom we are given!

When we are given freedom, we should not break any marriage. We are asked to stay away from any action (or thought) which could have these consequences, which destroys relationships which God has approved to be key parts of human community. He has told us how to live: honour your parents, and honour all other people. Live in order, one man and one woman.

Freedom we have …

**

We have the freedom to ignore worldly things to some extent. Of course, we live in the world and we are asked to live there peacefully, to acknowledge all people. But there is no need to try to become rich. There is no need to try to become very famous. There is no need to try to have a lot of power. God is rich, and he is our father. God is famous, and he is with us every day. God is powerful, and he helps and protects us. We are free!

To be free with our mind is quite a challenge. Even Christian leaders, pastors and very well-known figures of faith can be bound by their own fears and their wishes. I have seen pastors who were quite strongly influenced by their ideas about how and where to live, with their little house and their kids in school. These are standard challenges, but they ARE challenges - and we might ask: are we free? How free are we already? And there is the Holy Spirit who confirm: yes, we ARE free! Learn to live your freedom!

In my life I find the challenge to free myself of thoughts which pull me down when I face ignorance. And when you work within a complex network of institutions and working groups, nationally and internationally, there is a lot going on in terms of who does what, who supports whom and how does it come together with the rules of the different institutions involved. Again, here it is true: we are free. We are invited to learn to live that way, to practice and gain our freedom day by day. It is a constructive freedom! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts