The Law of the Spirit of Life
“The Law of the Spirit of Life,
The Law of the Spirit of Life,
The Law of Life in Christ my king
has set me free from everything.
The Law of the Spirit of Life has set me free.”Romans 8v2: a chorus sung at church in the late 70s & 80s
Amazing, isn’t it, how we can know something and yet not live in its truth?
Following in the pattern set down last year, this year has continued to throw up challenge after challenge. In the closing months of last year, 3 families left our ministry. Then on the last service before Christmas a dear friend and former pastor of the church advised me that they also were leaving for a trial period of 6 months, and wanted to be upfront with me about it. I was crushed. This couple have a real pastoring gift, something that is not strong in me, and I feared for the future of the church in their absence.
I spent the Christmas period seeking God, pleading, begging for His divine intervention. Asking Him to show me how to build the church up again. Wondering what was going to happen.
I came home to find that the church had shrunk even further. It was like an avalanche … what started as a little trickle became a flowing river – right out the door.
They left for a multitude of reasons. Yes, I was one of them. Thank God, He showed me the numerous other reasons … and the hidden reasons, the ones that no one would ever openly state. I say “thank God” because the condemnation nearly crushed me. People I thought knew me better made me scapegoat, and as pastor what else could I think? Surely it was my responsibility.
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever puts his trust in Jehovah will be safe.
Proverbs 29v25
Yes. It was. It was my responsibility to do every day what I felt Him ask me to do. No more. No less. Some days I succeeded. Some days I didn’t. Thank God, there is NO condemnation in Christ. Only grace. Loving, accepting, embracing grace.
The Law of the Spirit of Life is setting me free from the Fear of Man.
Freed from the responsibility of shepherding, I have been able to spend more time focusing on business, something else I believe I have been called to, but have struggled with.
Growing up in a Christian environment that valued frugality, poverty was almost a virtue. At the very most, one should only have just enough to live barely comfortably. Certainly not in lavish opulence (abundance?), when one is able to give generously without taking food from one’s children!
But business is often viewed from that negative light, that place that says that a person who is rich must have deprived some poor soul from their money.
How, then, to reconcile a calling to generate abundant wealth with a fear of wealth? Or rather … a fear of what others will say if I possess wealth.
Today freedom became real in my spirit. God has called me. God gives good gifts. He doesn’t take pleasure in my virtue when seeing my slowly disintegrating fridge; he isn’t warmed by my spirituality when observing my broken vacuum cleaner; he isn’t made joyful when I am taken away from my work to do 2 loads of washing a day just for three people, because I only have a tiny washing machine; and he is not glorified when I climb out my passenger seat door because my driver’s side door hinge is broken. Not to imply that He wants to see me in a Rolls Royce necessarily, but I am not earning crowns for these things. I am not made more righteous, and He is not brought more glory. So why do I make it a spiritual thing?
He doesn’t mind if I want to buy a new fridge, washing machine, vacuum or car … or dishwasher, children’s bicycles, nice clothes, house, mansion … whatever. Unless He specifically directs me not to, or directs me to do things and I choose not to, it is my decision to make. And He gives good gifts.
At best, He is all for those things. At worst, unless otherwise notified, He doesn’t mind one way or the other.
So I don’t have to ask for these things, and then cover myself with requests that He save me from being sucked in by the sin of lust for money, as some people would insinuate. I don’t lust for money. I pant for Him. And while that is the case, I am free.
The Law of the Spirit of Life has set me free from Fear of Man again.
And it brings JOY!