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2017-07-04-devotional-Freedom (John 8:31-32)

1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
2. Today marks the end of my daily format. With retirement and some changes in life events and personal and family priorities, I will change to a weekly format beginning this month. You can expect “A Little Walk with God” to continue, but it will be released each week on Mondays instead of the daily format you have had in the past. Thanks for your continued support and if you like what you hear, share it with your friends and send me a post to let me know what you think about the new format.
3. Scripture
   1. John 8:31-32
   2. Jesus (to the new Jewish believers):  If you hear My voice and abide in My word, you are truly My disciples;  you will know the truth, and that truth will give you freedom.
4. Devotional
   1. Independence Day. The day a group of courageous men signed a document that started an experiment in democracy that has endured longer than anyone dreamed. 241 years ago, we declared our independence from the tyrannical rule of the king of England and formed the spark of democratic rule among the 13 colonies which would soon form the United States of America.
   2. Those early colonists wanted freedom from British rule. Freedom from laws and taxation and governance in which they had no say or influence. They wanted freedom to rule themselves and set their own direction for the formation of this new land in which they lived and died. They wanted freedom.
   3. Little did they know what would happen over the next centuries. Little did they understand that the United States would become the most powerful nation in the world both militarily and economically. Little did they understand the influence the constitution they drafted would impact the world of which they were only beginning to explore at the time. They sought freedom for themselves, their children and their children’s children.
   4. But what about today? What do we want? We hear a lot about people wanting freedom, but do we really understand what that means or what we really want?
   5. Freedom then and now does not mean the absence of authority or rule over us. Without rule and order and authority we would have utter chaos. Just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the lack of rule and order in New Orleans. Without order and authority, freedom means people often fall into animalistic behavior. We are better than that.
   6. Freedom does not mean absence of authority and order. We need order and authority to maintain peace and safety in our communities. We need government to ensure those basic necessities of life are taken care of in an orderly fashion for the common good of all of us. We need authority in our lives. Freedom includes authority over us. Always.
   7. Jesus says following His teachings lets us know the truth and the truth sets us free. So what does that mean?
   8. First, we need to understand that following His teachings means being like Him, being a disciple. That’s what disciples were in His day. Students who set aside their past beliefs and understandings and learned from their teacher. They adopted the teachings of their mentor and became like him in every way. They ate and dressed like him. They began to mimic his language and his thought process. They developed his mannerisms and in as many ways as possible began to be their teacher. They grew up in the image of their teacher, indistinguishable from their master.
   9. So Jesus is telling those around Him, be His disciple. Be like Him. Do what He does. Learn His teachings. Follow in His footsteps. When you do these things, you will know the truth.
   10. When you know the truth, you will be free. What will you be free from? Questions, the unknown, guilt, the burden of sin, fear, lack of purpose. You see, when you know the truth, suddenly you see the world the way Jesus sees it. You understand the reason we are put here on this earth. You know the peace that comes from knowing God’s forgiveness of your sins and the release of the guilt that plagues us because of our disobedience. You fear God as in recognizing the awesomeness of His mighty power, but you no longer fear God as in being troubled about His wrath for your past. You find freedom, real freedom.
   11. But with that freedom, you know who you serve. You are clearly and forever under His authority. You know you must and will follow His teachings. He is your Ruler, your King, your Director, your Guide, your Authority in all things. Yet you are truly free. Why? Because when you follow Him, you know the truth. You know Him and He is truth and you are free in Him.
5. If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
6. Bible Reading Plan – 2 Kings 1-5

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