Liberty, Freedom and Desire

One of the most quoted verses of scripture I’ve often heard is 2Corinthians 3:17 “…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” But do we understand what liberty is anymore? We have been taught and deceived into believing that liberty affords us the “right” to do as we please. This attitude of we have the “right” has led us astray. When I look observantly around the church world today I can see how much has been openly accepted that God’s Word has clearly denounced. And we continue to move in the wrong direction because of the liberty and freedom we abuse. Liberty is not the “right” to do as one pleases, but rather the Freedom to do as God says. Where I live in America, we don’t lack liberty or freedom, what we lack is desire. People have the liberty and freedom to worship in churches across America each week, yet desire is what is lacking. Sometime ago, I visited a church that had one of the best worship bands I’ve heard in a long time. But the people were unmoved by the Spirit that was present. It wasn’t because there was a lack of freedom or liberty, but rather a lack of desire to worship. The worship leader was trying to encourage people to let go and let God move in their presence, but the plea fell on deaf ears. This experience brought new understanding to me about the words Jesus spoke when He said “those who have an ear to hear, let them hear”. Lord, open my ears to hear and place in me the “desire” to worship you and help me be a good steward over the freedom and liberty you’ve provided.