Stay Free

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”

Didn’t it all used to be so simple then? You remember back in the day when you were young, but we’re not kids anymore but sometimes I wish I was a kid again. We were so carefree! Playing outside, making tents in the house with a blanket and two kitchen chairs, eating hot chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, and no worries in the world. As a child, we were free to be children because of the provision and protection of our parents. Now little hands and mouths are dependent upon us to afford them the freedom to just be children.

Even as we grow older there is a need for us to retain our child-like freedom. There is a way to hold to the wonder and amazement even as we handle the responsibilities of being older.

1. Keep your lives Free from the love of money. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The love of money is at the root of this recession. It was the greed of Wall Street and big banks that caused little people to borrow more than they could pay back. Money is not evil it’s the love of money that is. Money is a tool for us to live and bless others. A better translation is, “the lust of money is the root of all evil." One of the things I remember as a child is that we didn’t have a lot of money but we had a lot of Love. If you have Love you can still have a good Christmas because Christmas is about celebrating the fact that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

2. Be content with what you have. How many shirts can you wear at one time? How many pair of shoes can you wear at one time? Some of us have so much already that we would be embarrassed if you could travel to some impoverished home where families are living with no running water or electricity in the 21st century. We have so much to thank God for. WE are blessed. Take time to thank God for what you already have and share with others who have nothing.

3. Take comfort in knowing that God said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” As bad as it seems the good news is that God is still here.
It reminds me of a little girl who was waiting after school for her daddy to pick her up. All the school buses had left the parking lot, and now the administration was leaving. It started raining and the little girl just stood there. One last teacher was leaving and saw the little girl. She offered to give her a ride but the little girl refused and said, “my Daddy said he would pick me up, I’ll wait.” There was no panic in her eyes. The little girl was just as content as if the sun was shining. The teacher was not going to leave until the Father arrived. The daddy pulled up an apologized to the teacher and the little girl. There had been a wreck on the interstate. The little girl wet but happy looked at her daddy and said, “It’s okay Daddy, I knew you would never leave me.”

The Holy Ghost our teacher will not leave us comfortless until the Father arrives to pick us us. Be content with what you have until your Daddy shows up. He’s on the way.

Dear God,
Thank you for not leaving me in this storm. It hasn’t been easy but thank God I’m still free! Sometimes, the heaviness of responsibility feels like stinging rain but your grace is shelter in the time of storm. Whatever state I’m in I’m learning to be content and it is well with my soul.

Thank you Father!

In Jesus Name,
Amen