“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” - James 1:25
Memorial Day, I'm reminded of the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in preserving our liberty as a country. I'm grateful for the inward compulsion we have and the difference it means in living out our purpose. If I get a passing grade on my exams for AWS Big Data Certification, I'll treat myself to watching my favorite war movie, Hacksaw Ridge.
Yesterday I learned from Judy Ho there are two Greek words for pleasure, hedonic and eudemonic.
- The root word hedonic comes from the Greek word for “sweet”, which means relating to or characterized by pleasure. ... For example, hedonic goods are bought so that the consumer may gain pleasure and enjoyment from the good, and value experiences are also viewed as hedonic experiences.
- Eudemonic well-being refers to the subjective experiences associated with eudaimonia or living a life of virtue in pursuit of human excellence. The phenomenological experiences derived from such living include self-actualization, personal expressiveness, and vitality. This is where udemy.com got it's name.
In BeMature Wiersbe contrasts liberty with license. When we obey God's law, it frees us from sin and enables us to walk in liberty (Ps 119:45). Also, the law prepares us for liberty:
Now before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, [perpetually] imprisoned [in preparation] for the faith that was destined to be revealed, with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under [the control and authority of] a tutor and disciplinarian. For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:23-26 (AMP)
License means you do whatever you want (Hedonic) and is the worst kind of bondage (Romans 1:28,29,30,31,32). See, Diagnostics of a depraved psychology and consequences (Romans 1:18-32). Retaining the knowledge of God is as daily as eating and drinking.
Liberty is fulfillment (Eudemonic). Wiersbe says, "It's called the law of liberty because God sees our hearts and knows what we would have done had we been free to do so. The Christian student who obeys only because the school has rules is not really maturing...God's Word can change our hearts and give us the desire to do God's Will, so that we obey from inward compulsion and not outward constraint."
As with ABC of CBT, our beliefs drive our behavior. If we really believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that God is gracious, His Word is true, and one day He will judge us, then our conduct will reveal our convictions. I've found when I walk with God into the unknown, fully trusting in Him I experience wonderful things. The past two years have been wonderful starting with this study Joshua wastes no time living into God's promises
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