PODCAST
Burdensome or Beneficial?
May 26th, 2013
1 John 5:1-12
Growing up in the ‘60s meant being exposed to messages that contradicted everything learned in Sunday school. My mom canceled her subscription to Life magazine after seeing one too many explicit photographs, but images of Woodstock and still shots taken from movies like The Graduate are still clear in my memory.
At the time it seemed that Christian values were too binding. Many young people had cast off biblical commands regarding sexual purity and respect for authority. The prevailing belief seemed to be that freedom meant absence of restraint.
However, the ensuing decades have shown the fallacy of this belief, as our society deals with divorce, disease, and other consequences of sin. As is often true in God’s kingdom, we find here a paradox: True freedom is not the absence of restraint but the safety of obedience to God’s commands.
One of the blessings of growing older can be gaining peace of mind. With age comes contentment, clear priorities, and most important, a lifetime of answered prayers and forgiven sins.
Author: Marsha Turner-Shear
May 26th, 2013 at 8:28 pm
“One of the blessings of growing older can be gaining peace of mind. With age comes contentment, clear priorities, and most important, a lifetime of answered prayers and forgiven sins.”
The Holy Spirit gives the “peace” and age brings about life’s learning curve. It’s spiritual maturity that puts it all together. If only we could learn through the experiences of others. More personal testimonies could help the youth (if we were able to come out with our sins). However, they would probably hear justification unless “all” the consequences weren’t brought forward)