Prayer To Live As Free People Who Do No Harm To Others
Tuesday June 30, 2020
LIVING AS FREE PEOPLE WHO DO NO HARM TO OTHERS
Being close neighbours of our friends in the United States, we watch with concern and sadness as cases of COVID-19 surge in that country. We hear health officials express their fears that there is so much virus in the community that they are not sure if the disease spread can be controlled.
Much of this surge in cases has been attributed to the speed with which various states reopened their economies and loosened restrictions – often in response to loud voices of many demanding the freedom to go places they wanted to go and freedom to do those things they felt they had the right to do. We saw the protests in the streets, read the signs, and heard the calls so many made for freedom.
Although countries who have had the most success in controlling the virus have mandated the use of face masks in public, so many in the United States feel they need to have the freedom to choose for themselves whether they wear a mask or not. Unfortunately these personal freedoms of individuals seems to be having a negative impact on the health and well-being of the community.
On the other hand we watch new laws passed in China that seem to have grave effect on the future freedom of the people of Hong Kong and hear the news of the referendum coming up in Russia that would keep President Putin in power for life. We've seen far too many times the harm dictators do as they amass this kind of power.
Live like free people, but don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do
evil. Live as those who are serving God.
1 Peter 2:16
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.
But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh;
rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Galatians 5:13
Today we want to come to God, to pray for courage and wisdom to live as free people, knowing when to stand for freedom and when to lay down freedoms of personal convenience for the sake of others.
You were set free from sin and became the slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6:18
Lord Jesus, you came to earth so that we would know and be able to live freedom. We were slaves to sin before You died for us on the cross and we put our faith in You. We're so grateful that we can live in the freedom and peace that Your forgiveness and saving power effect in our lives. We had it so wrong when we thought doing what we wanted when we wanted was freedom. How quickly it all fell apart and we were caught up in self-interest that harmed not only ourselves but others.
Forgive us as a community of people for the decades of free love and loose morals that have led to the breakdown of family values and lifestyles of holiness and purity. The freedom to be immoral has done so much harm in the lives of so many. As a people, we need forgiveness and restoration to lives with boundaries that put limits of immoral behavour.
Forgive us Lord for the selfishness we've lived in when we put the demand for our own rights and freedoms above the consideration of what is good for all of us and what You say is right for us. Lord, help us to serve one another humbly in love rather than using freedom to indulge our own fleshly desires.
The Spirit of the Lord God has taken control of me!
The Lord has chosen and sent me to tell the oppressed t
he good news, to heal the brokenhearted, and
to announce freedom for prisoners and captives.
Isaiah 61:1
Lord, we know that we are only truly free when we are living in right relationship with YOu, living under the boundaries to thoughts and behaviours You say are helpful for us. Help us to live the true freedom of saying "yes" to what we should say "yes" to and "no" to those things we should stay away from. Not everything is good for us and we pray for the humility to let You name that and describe what that looks like in our daily living.
We have freedom now, because Christ made us free.
So stand strong in that freedom.
Don’t go back into slavery again.
Galatians 5:1
We want to live as those who’ve given over control of the agenda of our lives to the Holy Spirit, because everything the Spirit speaks to us is full of love and truth and is what is best for us in so many ways. We want to use the opportunity of this day in this season to share the joy we’ve found in giving our will and our life into Your care, God, and how this really does bring freedom for those who are prisoners to dark thoughts, destructive behaviours, and broken relationships.
Thank you for the freedom we have to love and be loved, to serve and be served, to bless and be blessed because we are free in Christ. Help us to stand strong in that freedom today. Amen
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