Since August, I have written only twice here, although I had words inside of me for many more posts. What I had to say did not seem to fit into this space very well, if at all.
But this space is my podium, my journal, my lessons, my little place I have called my writing-home since 2009. Why can’t I write words that speak of my personal journey in this personal, although also public, space?
Of course, I can!
I live in a nation where speech is still free! I pray it stays that way too!
Here at Being Woven, you will start seeing more of the under-belly of the weaving which is me being woven. I have spent much of these thirteen years in this space sharing the more finished side of the weaving rather than the side where those yarn-ends are sticking out, not yet tucked in properly, although I did write from that well now and then too. With a voice that may be somewhat unfamiliar to my readers (and to me), those raw points of this weaving may protrude. It is still me, my friends.
First Amendment of the United States of America’s Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
I hope and pray that I will honor God in all I say and do. Lord, please guide my steps, my words, my voice(s).
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34
ἀλλήλων
allēlōn
one another; reciprocally, mutually
“One Another” – English uses two words for the Greek language’s one word, yet the meaning is the same. It’s used 100 times in 94 New Testament verses. 47 of those verses give instructions to the church, and 60% of those instructions come from Paul. **
As children of God, our priority ought to be the “one anothers.” Jesus commanded us to love one another.
Freedom, liberty, rights…words we hear often these days. Yes, they have been around in this country since the United States of America became a country and the Founding Fathers drafted our Constitution and Bill of Rights. They have been in use worldwide as well. They are words we want to trust and know that we are under a government that allows us, the people, to have rights, freedoms, and liberty. Yet, are these ideals meant for only ourselves as individuals? Are we more important than our neighbors, our co-workers, our parents or children, church members, the community around us? With Covid-19 on the rampage, especially with the Delta variant so highly contagious, using our rights, our individual freedoms, our liberties as excuses to not get the vaccine that will help contain this killing virus, as excuses to not wear masks that guard ourselves and others, we are placing ourselves above everyone else. EVERYONE ELSE!
In this world of harsh, angry words, have we forgotten about the others: those with Cancer, those with immune-compromised body systems from disease, or another issue, the elderly, those who are givers of care to parents, to young children, or both? What about the little ones who cannot even get a vaccine? They are heading back to school. So many more children are in the hospital this very day due to COVID-19/Delta variant. Some places are not allowing a school district or a local public health department to mandate or even suggest the wearing of masks, or mandating teachers get vaccinated. Have the needs of these crossed the minds of those calling for freedom of choice?…to do what we please, labeling it with an amendment or a right from the Bill of Rights? Have they?
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”Galatians 5:13-14
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Romans 12:16
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
In Pastor John Pavlovitz’s latest post, titled “Selfishness is America’s Second Deadly Virus,” he encourages me to complete this post (for I have been working on it for a couple of weeks). Those one anothers have been on my mind for quite some time now. When only thinking about myself and not loving others is, to me, the worst of selfishness.
I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.Ephesians 4:1-3
...submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21
In front of my husband’s Bible, he wrote definitions of often hard-to-remember Christian vocabulary. “Submission — is recognizing and yielding to the Jesus in others.” And I say Amen!
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.Ephesians 4:32
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort oneanother, agree with oneanother, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
Scripture says what I desire to say, yet far more eloquently, so I will let the beautiful words of God speak to our hearts, minds, and souls.
Think upon God’s Words to us.
As we focus our eyes and hearts upon Jesus, let us see all He is. And then let us look like Jesus before others. How will they see Him if we don’t spread His Light? Our actions and words speak volumes.
No one has ever seen God; if we love oneanother, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:12
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.Colossians 3:12-15
Therefore let us not pass judgment on oneanother any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. Romans 14:13
We must not stray, thinking our liberty as a Christian gives us freedoms that may end up taking us off God’s path, harming others, causing others to stumble.
“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:8-9
We also must seek to glorify God in all we do and are. Even wearing a mask to protect others as well as one’s self can glorify God. Even receiving a vaccine if one is medically able can glorify God.
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Romans 15:5-7
Lord, I seek Your face. I want to know You well so that I am able to reflect Your Light through all I am and all I do. As I write this post, I see rather clearly my own faults and my judgment upon others. I need reminding that my way is not always right.Others see this virus through a different lens than the one I have. Forgive me, Lord, should I judge another. Guide my steps so that I walk in Your ways. This Covid-19 season has opened my eyes in ways I would never have imagined, both good and not-so-good, about myself and others, even my sisters and brothers in Christ. Grant me patience and humility, mercy and grace. I am trying to take care of myself while caring about those I come into contact with. Help us each and all see it through You, Lord. Please grant us that ability that we could then live in peace with one another, loving one another. Protect us from this awful virus, Lord. May Your will be done in all ways. I pray in Your Son’s Holy and Powerful Name. Oh, my Jesus. Amen.
Here is a fine page of many “one another” passages: (The link is at the bottom where The Architect and the Artist has a printable page of this.)
My maternal great grandfather sought refuge in this country, searching for work, an income. My paternal great, great, great grandfather sought refuge in this country to escape religious persecution.
Today, many seek refuge in this United States of America due to fear of violence, gangs, drug cartels, dictators, and so much more.
Inside the lower pedestal of The Statue of Liberty is this sonnet by Emma Lazarus:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”[11]
This poem was written as a donation for an auction of art and literary works[3] conducted by the “Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty” to raise money for the pedestal’s construction. “Bartholdi’s gigantic effigy was originally intended as a monument to the principles of international republicanism, but ‘The New Colossus’ reinvented the statue’s purpose, turning Liberty into a welcoming mother, a symbol of hope to the outcasts and downtrodden of the world.”[16]. The swarms of immigrants knocking on the Eastern shore of this United States quickly turned the statue into a welcoming-harbor greeter.
So I write this with a heavy heart which I have held for years, more so, these past four years. I have seen pictures of migrants, refugees, young, old, with all range of skin shade pigmentation standing, crying, grasping, yelling, crawling, swimming, climbing, and drowning to get into this country. Babies and children of all ages torn from parents’ arms. Four years later, we have 628 children (now) whose parents cannot be found (although just this past week of December 1, 2020, knowledge of phone numbers has been brought to our attention). Even though, my heart breaks. Tears roll down my face as I type these words.
This is not the America that my grandparents sought those many years ago.
Yes, we have had problems throughout our history. We have lived with segregation, racial injustice, the KKK. Women have had to fight for the right to vote, for equal pay, for the ability to obtain a job that once only men held. We had the Civil War…the South against the North. We have taken land and rights from Indigent Peoples. Yes, this nation is far from perfect.
My great, great grandfather was Italian. He was not liked by the immigrants who came before the Italians. I have Irish immigrants and Scottish immigrants as my kin. They were not liked by their predecessors. It seemed like each group wanted to close the gates, not allowing anyone else in to this country. (This still happens as people move from state to state or area to area, desiring to close the gate once they have found a beautiful place.).
Yet, my mother grew up in Chicago at the turn of the last century in a neighborhood made up of Italians, Irish, Russians, Polish, Jewish, Catholics, Protestants. They loved one another. My grandmother even raised the 6 Bates girls who became orphans when both Russian parents died. Grandma was Irish/English/German. Mama loved to help a widow and her daughter make dinner because the food was Jewish, something different from her own fare. During the Depression, if a family could afford to make bread or soup or both, they would share with those who did not have enough. It was the way it was on Mama’s block of immigrants.
The United States of America seems not to be the UNITED states in some substantial aspects. We are broken.
That melanin of the skin is so distinguishable, not only by black and brown and white, but red and blue, bigot and humanitarian, racist/supremacist and equalitarian/humanitarian, and on and on!
Upon looking up the antonyms of several words, I found “bigot” to mean “one who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices.” Words of opposite definition of “bigot” include: liberal, moderate, conservative, middle-of-the-road, militant. Does that not cover just about all of us? So how can we all come from various and unique backgrounds and be a united people? The real question is…how can we NOT?
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
I want to love unconditionally. That is hard. But I want to.
I desire to be united with my brothers and sisters, my neighbors, my church family. Speaking out about concerns and issues can bring unrequested wrath from people I love. I do not handle that well. AT ALL!
God has called us to love.
By His Word, God leads us in the ways in which He wants us to walk. Again and again! …
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:31-40
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27
“To keep oneself unstained from the world” … “to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”… oh, I need Your help, Father. Please hold me still, guarding the words of my mouth, whether verbally or through the written word. I am sorry for words I have uttered recently that drew unexpected words from others. Forgive me, LORD, even though they were words I am feeling. I need to not be drawn into these worldly concerns. Your ways are infinitely better, LORD. Infinitely. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” Zechariah 7:9-10
…learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Isaiah 1:17
Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
Father God, I am sorry for those times and situations when I betrayed You because I did not love, did not give, did not do unto You for I did not do unto the least of those in need. I am truly sorry. As I walk through life for the remainder of my days, please guide my steps, my words, and my actions…that I would be obedient to Your call. I know through my mother’s own stories of our relatives that times were not always easy being a stranger in a strange land. I also know through my mother’s voice that people did learn to get along, to love one another, to wrap their arms around everyone no matter the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their temperament. She taught me and my sisters to love as You teach us. I pray for this nation and this world. I pray for the emigrants who have left their home country and are desiring to enter a new country, possibly the USA. I pray, that one day soon, the opportunity, the gates, will be opened to them. I pray for the DACA children/adults who were brought into the USA innocently with a parent and have known only the United States as their home. I pray for those 628 children who are still in custody in the United States whose parents cannot be found. You know where every single one is. Please unite those precious children with their parents, LORD. They are lambs who need the Shepherd to reunite them with those who bore them. I pray for everyone who is running away from a scary, violent situation who need a new home. Father, You know each one of them around the world. I ask You to guide us as a people to wrap our arms around them. I pray all in the Name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
[11] The New Colossus – Lehman, David, ed. (2006). The Oxford Book of American Poetry. Oxford University Press. p. 184. OCLC62697134
[3] Sutherland, Cara A (2003), The Statue of Liberty: The Museum of the City of New York, Barnes & Noble, p. 77, ISBN0-7607-3890-4, auction of art and literary work; Mark Twain also contributed.
[16] Auster, Paul (2005), “NYC = USA”, Collected Prose: Autobiographical Writings, True Stories, Critical Essays, Prefaces, and Collaborations with Artists, Picador, p. 508, ISBN0-312-42468-X.
As 2020 begins, may our eyes be open to see Jesus the Christ with clarity and grace. May we be emboldened to stand tall, shining the light of the Lord before all, for light overcomes darkness. Should we have a veil over our own eyes, physical eyes, eyes of our hearts, may it be removed that we may see…see the Truth…see Jesus as He is.
κάλυμμα
kalymma
a veil, covering
metaphorically, of that which prevents a thing from being understood
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, Who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Amen.
By Christ, and Christ Alone, is the veil removed from our physical eyes and the eyes of our hearts so that we may see clearly. Clearly, to know the Truth. Clearly, to understand the Truth. Clearly, to shine the Truth before others, to be a light in this dark world.
And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with Him. Exodus 34:33-35
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this Man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38-39
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among menby which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
I want to see clearly, LORD, with 20/20 vision. I want to know Who You are and what You are teaching me. I desire to follow You obediently, God. Guide me and show me the way for my life. Open the eyes of my heart, as well as the eyes of my physical body so that I will know…know all that You desire for me to know. I know I cannot know all while I am here on this earth. Yet, while I am here, please make Your will for my life clear, LORD. Make it known to me. In the powerful Name of Jesus, Your Son, I pray. Amen.
I honor you, the Veterans of these United States of America.
I am a proud widow and a daughter of military veterans.
This day makes me stand proud although sad.
It makes me sad for all those who have lost their lives due to war.
I honor those veterans who return with physical, mental, emotional wounds. I am so very sorry. I pray for you and your families. I honor the families who serve alongside of their husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, grandchildren for they are serving this country as well. Thank you to each and every one of you.
My husband, Kenneth, was an United States Army combat veteran, 101st Airborne Division/Co. B 3/506; served in Vietnam, 1968-69 serving from 1967-1970. Kenneth died this past June 7th of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a recognized type of cancer caused by Agent Orange. Yes, Kenneth served on the ground fighting in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Agent Orange was definitely present there.
Yes, this next photo is my Kenneth in 1967 when he was going through the U.S. Army Airborne School (or Jump School {as he called it}) as part of the 101st Airborne training in Fort Benning, GA. (P.S. I wish I had known him then!! : ) )
Kenneth, you were a soldier once…and young, along with so many others in so many wars. I look at this photo of you and see such a very young man…a boy! Boys, now girls too, tend to fight the wars, don’t they?
“The Class of 1965 came out of the old America, a nation which disappeared forever in the smoke that billowed off the jungle battlegrounds where we fought and bled. The country which sent us off to war was not there to welcome us home. It no longer existed.” *
In the Prologue of We Were Soldiers Once…and Young, the authors were speaking of the Vietnam War. That is the war my Kenneth fought in. He came home with what we now call PTSD, but there was no label back then. They just came home and did the best they could. Kenneth made it. I am sorry he fought in that war. I am sorry we as a nation fought in that war. I am sorry so many died in that war. I am just sorry about all wars. I do not like arguments let alone wars.
I am sorry that we did not welcome you home as all service men and women deserve. So I say to you and to all Veterans, Welcome home.
Kenneth, I have always been so proud of you. I respected you and loved you with my whole being. Although I did not know you back then, I am so glad and grateful I was blessed to call you my husband for twenty-five years. Thank you for marrying me and loving me as you did. You were the best husband and friend to me. Thank you, Love. I am so sorry that Lymphoma took over your body though (for my loss). You are with Jesus now and that is the best news of all! Praise Him. Praise the Lord.
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My father was a Navy doctor, a “lifer.” He loved his Navy. He served in WWII in the Pacific and then went on to be a part of the post-war Manhattan Project (Bikini, Eniwetok Islands) where radiation exposure took his life by Pancreatic Cancer. He practiced medicine in the Navy for 20 years until he died at age 46.
My Daddy died when I was 12. Thank you, Mama, for loving us through such a difficult season of life, of death, for all of us.
My parents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
My family is honored. We miss them.
Daddy, I miss you so much. It has been 58 years since you died, yet it could have been yesterday. I sometimes feel like I am still 12, having that giant Daddy-hole in my heart. I love you so and wonder at all I missed by God taking you home so early in our lives. I am glad we had Mama for almost 99 years. She had a hard row ahead of her with three girls-me just on the verge of becoming a teenager. But we made it. We all turned out well. Daddy, thank you for loving us so. Thank you for your dedication to the Navy and being a doctor. You were loved by so many and missed by so many. I pray I will see you again one day on the other side. I love you, Your oldest daughter
Freedom comes with a huge price…one worthy of a fight…but where do we as the United States of America draw the line. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ending of WWI, while pondering WWII, especially this weekend as our nation celebrates Veterans Day, how many wars does it take to be free? How many lives?
Where have all the soldiers gone Gone to graveyards, every one Oh, when will they ever learn
Oh, when will they ever learn? **
When will WE ever learn?
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:16 ESV
For He Himself is our peace, Who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making
peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Ephesians 2:14-21
Jesus paid the ultimate price for our/my freedom. You offered Your Son as the Sacrifice to redeem Your children to You. I am and will be grateful forever, Abba Father. May I live as You have called me to live, Father God. Thank You for these men and women who have served and are currently serving this country. I pray that we do not forget them but honor them in this life for the honor with which most have served. I lift up those today who came back from war with scars on or in their bodies, minds, and souls. Protect and heal them, Father. I pray for the families of those fallen soldiers, the families of those who are currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, in other areas of this world where they are in harm’s way. I pray for the families of those who have returned from war injured in one way or another. Oh God, be with them each and all. I lift up our Coast Guard who are risking their lives to interdict the drugs and the cartels who are making these runs. I lift the military who have been called to our Southern border alongside the Border Patrol. I pray You give them and the government wisdom and compassion regarding those many who are seeking asylum to a country they hope is a better place to live. Oh, Father, there are so many concerns. I pray on my knees before You. Thank You for hearing my cries. May we each turn to You and know that You are God and Father of all. Amen.
Fall Sunrise in Arlington National Cemetery, by SGT Cody Torkelson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. PUBLIC DOMAIN
Private photos from my own collection of Kenneth, Daddy, gravesite at ANC
I am free. Christ paid the highest price so that I could be free. Free to live this life for Him and with Him…free to walk with God, my Creator….free to love, learn to love as He loves, free to care as He cares.
The liberties with which I have gained by choosing Jesus are yours as well. You are free if you have given your life to Jesus. Do you believe in the One Who died for your sins, was buried, was resurrected after three days? Have you asked forgiveness for your sins? Do you believe in the Trinity…God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit? They are One as they are Three. Have you asked Jesus into your heart?
If ‘yes’ is the answer to these questions, then you join me in being FREE in Christ!
“So if the Son makes you free, you will befree indeed.” John 8:36
It was for freedom that Christ set usfree; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1
Living in a country which allows many freedoms is wonderful, yet Christ is Who actually sets us free.
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Yes, the Constitution of the United States gives us many rights and liberties.
Amendment 1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment 13: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Amendment 14: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Amendment 15: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Amendment 19: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Amendment 26: The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
These are only a few of the rights allowed us as citizens of this country.
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Those reading this from other countries may and may not have these things given to you. Whether or not, though, believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior gives you a freedom that others cannot claim until they know Jesus.
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make youfree.” John 8:31-32
ἐλευθερόω
eleutheroō
to liberate, deliver, make free, set at liberty from the dominion of sin
(This Greek word is the same word in all the New Testament Scriptures I have used here on this post.)
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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaimlibertyto captives And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3
דְּרוֹר
dĕrowr
freedom; hence, spontaneity of outflow, and so clear:—liberty, pure.
(The Old Testament has this Hebrew word of similar meaning.)
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there isliberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Once we accept this freedom in Christ, we have much to do and much to live for. It is our privilege to stand strong in this freedom, whether we live behind bars, under scrutiny, under demeaning people, or living in fear. It is also our life’s work to project Christ even when we live in a free country. There are many who do not believe in a god or in God. There are many who idolize a god, but it leads not to Christ. Many countries in this world which once saw God as their leader no longer see God as such. Many countries depend upon people of varying powers or worldliness as their leaders. Ideologies may not be Christian either in vast parts of this world. This Christian life is not usually easy, but it is ours as we believe in Christ. We are made in His image and others are watching in order to catch us doing something they deem as wrong, or doing something they see as Christlike. They may be making a judgment upon our ways in order to determine their decision about Christ. So it is our privilege and position to enable others to see Christ in us as we walk in this world.
For you were called tofreedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13
Live as people who arefree, not using yourfreedomas a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:16
But now having been freedfrom sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 6:22-23
Father God, I adore You and am so very grateful that you are in my life. I live under Your wings of power and protection. You hold me close, lifting me near. You have granted me this freedom to live for Your sake and not for mine. You ask me to keep my eyes on You and that is my desire, my goal. Forgive me when I fail You. I want to reflect Your Son to this world in which You have placed me. I want to fly freely. I have come to know, in this liberty that You have allowed, that I am Yours and Yours alone. I am free because I am Yours. For some, that would not be considered free, but I see it as so. I can fly because of You. I am Yours and want to live my life in You. I hold near to You as I learn to be obedient to Your calling for me. I love You, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set youfreefrom the law of sin and of death.Romans 8:2
God, You have blessed me with Your Word, Your Truth. You teach me as I walk with You and learn Your ways. You are showing me that by my sins, Your wrath is real. Yet, by my sins, Your love and mercy and grace are strong and beautiful. You sent Your Son for me. You love me so.
For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels.
But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him?
You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands.
You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.Hebrews 2:5-9
Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God
Jesus, our Salvation
Jesus, our All
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.Hebrews 2:17
ἱλάσκομαι
hilaskomai
to conciliate
to atone for (sin)
be propitious:—be merciful, make reconciliation for
propitiation(n) prō-pi-shē-ā-shǝn–
the act of appeasing the wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person
atonement or atoning sacrifice
Jesus…
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.1 John 2:2
Jesus…
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26
Jesus…
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.1 John 4:10
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…’Til on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied For every sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live…
from “In Christ Alone”
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Father, You could be so angry, so wrathful towards me. I am a sinner. But You see through me and know that I need a Savior. I need Salvation. You are Just. You came to me through Your beautiful Gift, Your Son, Jesus, Who delivered me from my sins. Through repentance and belief, I have been set free. You are Merciful. You have granted so much to me which I take for granted sometimes. I am sorry, Father, for I forget all too often of the many gifts which I am allowed. Yet, I do not forget that I can fly free from the shackles of sin because of Jesus, Your Son, Your Son’s death on the Cross for me, for others such as I. Your Grace and Your Truth have been showered over me. I am ever so grateful, Father. “Here in the death of Christ I live….” I live. Thank You for this precious Gift.
They do not swerve from their paths. United States soldiers are obedient, trained, dutiful, and fight for freedom. Let us not take what these men and women do and are for granted. They need our prayers, our constant support, and ties back to their homeland. Whether they fight in a war that we agree with or in one that we oppose, they are the soldiers of the United States of America. Stand by them in every way possible.
Father, please hold each one closely in Your protective arms. Show Yourself strong on their behalf as they do their duty on foreign soil or here. Send Your angels to surround each one as they fight, as they teach, as they destroy explosive ordinances, as they train foreign armies, in all they do. I thank You for each person who volunteers to go into the service in these times. I thank You for giving them abilities to do what they must do. No matter what the job, please be with them each and all. If they do not know You, Father, nor Your Son, Jesus, I pray that through all of this, they will come to You. Draw them near. Place one of Your Christian soldiers with them. Give that soldier boldness to share You with the other soldiers. (I just read something from WWII where someone said, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” Father, let there be no atheists in Iraq, in Afghanistan, especially among the USA soldiers, in those foxholes, or tents, or buildings, or desert.) If natives are near our Christian soldiers, I pray Your light shine from each one to these Iraqis, these Afghans, these Pakistanis, these Libyans. Father, I pray on my knees, lifting my hands to You for every one of our soldiers.
The Lord utters His voice
before His army,
for His camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes His word is powerful.
For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?
Joel 2:11
Jesus, I pray Your angels surround these men and women as they serve. I thank You that You are with so many in their spirits. I thank You that keep them close to You in all types of situations. If they serve at home, as they are on USA soil between deployments, care for them mentally and physically as well as spiritually. Once they are home for good, please provide the stability they need to face their lives with family, friends, and life home again without war. Especially, hold the soldiers close who have had brain injuries, physical traumas, fears and mental traumas. Make them whole again, Lord. Please. Thank You for protecting my Kenneth while he fought in VietNam, for bringing him home safely and allowing us to meet and marry years later. May we never, NEVER, treat our soldiers the way we treated our VietNam veterans upon their return home. Thank You for keeping Jim safe through his two deployments to Iraq and one to Bahrain. Lord, may we find ways to help our men and women today as they return home so that they find their way to Your safe haven, are able to live and love safely in their home country.
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father,
and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels?”
Matthew 26:53
For those who have lost their lives in battle, while serving this country, Father, I pray You care for the families, the children, the wives, the mothers and fathers of each and every soldier, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. O, God, why do we have war? I lost my Daddy many years ago after his safe return from the Pacific during WWII, and then his safe return from Operation Crossroads and Operation Greenhouse (pieces of the Manhattan Project after the War), yet unknown consequences from radiation were to take him from me, from my sisters, from my mom. You know, Lord. I was only 12. I still miss him today. Would You hold me longer? Rock me to sleep those nights when I miss him so? Care for all of us who have lost someone through war or military maneuvers of some sort. I pray, Lord, from the depths of my heart. Each soldier is a gift for the gifts they give to us through their duties, through their stance, their representation of America, through who they are. Thank You for every one of them. In the Strong Name of Jesus, Amen.
Credits:Flag photo: taken by me (5/2009)
two photos from VietNam Veterans’ Memorial State Park @ Angel Fire, NM (taken by me 10/2011)Arlington Cemetery: Remember {{Information |Description={{en|1=Picture of graves decorated with flags at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day 2008. }} |Source=Own work by uploader |Author=Remember |Date=May 26, 2008 |Permission=Public Domain
I honor you, the Veterans of these United States of America.
I am a proud wife and a daughter of military veterans.
This day makes me stand proud.
It makes me sad
for all those who lost their lives due to war.
I honor those veterans who return with physical, mental, emotional wounds. I am so very sorry. I pray for you and your families. I honor the families who serve alongside of their husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, grandchildren
for they are serving this country as well.
Thank you to each and every one of you.
What can I say? I can only weep with her for I have been in this woman’s shoes for my Daddy.
This link below is a moving and beautifully artistic slide show with music from Arlington National Cemetery. I invite you to join me there.
My husband is an Army combat veteran, served in Vietnam. I am grateful that he came home. I am proud of you, Kenneth. I respect you and love you. We were
young back then and did not understand all the ways of this world (and
still don’t.) I did not even know you yet, but I am glad I do now. Thank you for marrying me and loving me so beautifully.
I lost my Daddy when I was 12. He was a Navy doctor, a lifer — he
surely would have been. He loved his Navy. He served in WWII in the
Pacific and then went on to be a part of the Manhattan Project/Bikini
and Eniwetok Islands where radiation exposure eventually took his
life. He practiced medicine in the Navy for 20 years though, until he
died at 46 years old. You loved us so, Daddy. I miss you, and so do Mommy and Nancy and Annette.
I love you, Daddy.
Freedom is never FREE.For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by
abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he
might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making
peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
This company has been honoring our fallen soldiers by placing wreaths upon the graves since 1992. It began small and has grown to almost every Veterans Cemetery in the USA. Check out their story: Remember
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
(1 Peter 2:16 ESV)
May I live as You have called me to live, Father God. Thank You for these men and women who have served this country. I pray that we do not forget them but honor them in this life for the honor with which most have served. I lift up those today who came back from war with scars on or in their bodies, minds, and souls. Protect and heal them, Father. I pray for the families of those fallen soldiers, the families of those who are yet in Iraq and Afghanistan and in other areas of this world that are placing them in harm’s way. I lift up our Coast Guard who are risking their lives to interdict the drug cartels coming out of Mexico. Oh, Father, there are so many concerns and I pray on my knees before You. Thank You for hearing my cries, seeing my tears. Amen.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His day is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.”
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Since God is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.
Lord Almighty, I am grateful for this country in which I live. I am especially thankful for the men and women who have fought and are fighting this very day for the freedoms we have. I thank those who fought, not by picking up arms, but by supplying the needs for those who did pick up arms, for those who pray for them, for those who wait at home for their loved ones to return, to those who raise the next generation, often alone for months or years at a time. I thank You, Father, for holding each one of Your children who lost their life in battle to make us free. I thank You for healing, caressing, and caring for those who have been injured in battle. Father, no matter what this country looks like on the outside today, July 4th, 2011, You know the hearts of Yours. You know where we are headed and we don’t. I am grateful that You are in control and have the world in Your hands. I thank You for giving me the freedom to read Your Word, to pray to You and in Your Son’s Holy Name. I am so grateful. Ever so grateful.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
“E Pluribus Unum” … “out of many, one”. The United States of America is a nation of many peoples from all over the world. The United States of America is that melting pot. At times over the last 235 years, our country has stood together as “One Nation, Under God”. Could it be again, dear Lord? Could we stand together as a people? One people? Your people? We are in Your hands, Heavenly Father. If it be Your will, Lord. Amen and Amen.
Civil War song by Julia Ward Howe 1861 (or 1862)
Music by several and true authority is questionable.
Being Woven 
