Freedom is more than merely enjoying civil rights. It is more than Jefferson’s life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. True freedom can only be received from the hand of God, otherwise, we are at the mercy of our affections. What we desire and organize our life around. It may be our possessions; it may be a career; it may be a relationship; it could be anything. Whatever holds our affections has influence over us and our decisions. It drives the words “I don’t have a choice”, which really means I don’t want to sacrifice my affections, when in fact it is possible to make that sacrifice. We do have a choice. The phrase, I don’t have a choice, is code for I don’t want to make that sacrifice.
This connection between affections and freedom sheds light on several of Jesus’ statements. Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom of God. That means to set our affections on God’s kingdom first and let everything else take a lesser priority in our life. Later Jesus said to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. From what are we to deny ourselves? We deny our affections that seek to take the primary position in our life, that seek to control our decision making, that seek to deceive us into thinking we don’t have a choice. Jesus means for us again to place those things that call for our affections in proper perspective in relationship to God’s Kingdom and keep following Jesus.
This was the problem with the Rich Young Ruler. Jesus saw the man and loved him. He desired to set this man free. Therefore he told the man to sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and follow him. Why did Jesus tell the man this? Because wealth is evil, of course not. If wealth were evil, Jesus would have told all his followers to sell their wealth, but he didn’t. He only told this man to take that step. Why would Jesus do that? In this case, the man had allowed his wealth to take hold of his heart, which was revealed when he refused to follow Jesus’ advice and walked away downcast. For this man it was his possessions, but for others it might be relationships, friends and family, or a career, which have taken control of their heart.
What happens when we live in the manner that Jesus calls us to? We experience freedom. While we enjoy possessions, friends, family and a career, they do not control us and we do not fear losing them. Freedom from fear of losing what attracts our affections, because our affections are focused on what we cannot lose, Jesus’ love for us. Freedom from thinking that we no longer have a choice, because we always have a choice, because we are free to sacrifice and deny ourselves to follow Jesus. This freedom reminds us of the wisdom of the words penned by Jim Eliot prior to his being martyred. “He is no fool, who gives up what he cannot keep, to attain what he cannot lose.” Ultimately this freedom give us true contentment, so that we can experience contentment in whatever circumstances that come our way. This is what the apostle Paul was talking about when he wrote to the Philippians from a Roman prison, telling them that he had learned to be content in all situations, with both plenty and in lack. Now that is a way of living worth choosing.
David Freitag 