Christian Freedom
VI Christian Freedom Christians follow him in whose service they find perfect freedom. Through total obedience they come to have the blessed liberty of the children of God. This apparent paradox stands at the heart of the Christian faith which seems to demand total commitment and yet promise utter freedom. In the brief section that follows this paradox is explored in meditation, prayer and verse.
Unselfish Moments 'And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends.'' Job 42:10
It is only in moments of unselfishness that I am free. The iron chain that binds me is the thought of myself and of my own calamities; if I could but be liberated from that, my captivity would be turned in an hour. If, under the shadow of the cloud, I could but remember that the shadow of the same cloud hovers over my brother-man, the vision of his shadow would destroy mine. In the moment of prayer for him my burden would fall from me. I would seek it, and lo! it would not be found; it would be as if it had not been.
O Thou Divine Spirit of self-forgetfulness, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of the Cross, it is in Thee alone that I can find this freedom. Liberate me from myself, and instead of the iron chain, give me a chain of gold. It is not the chain that lowers me, it is the material of which it is made; it is not the sorrow that makes me a captive, it is the centring of the sorrow round my own life. Help me to take up the burdens of others. Help me to know what it is to have rest in bearing an additional yoke, Thy yoke, the yoke of humanity. Help me to feel what it is to have peace in carrying a new care, Thy care, the care of universal love. Help me to learn what it is to be transfigured in the prayer for others; to have the countenance shining as the light, and the raiment white and glistering.
Moments on the Mount
The Fetters of the Spirit "And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there'' Acts 20:22
Spirit of Christ, Thy chain is golden. The fetters Thou imposest are wings of freedom. There is no liberty like the liberty of being bound to go.
When Thou layest upon me the sense of obligation, that moment Thou settest my spirit free. When Thou sayest that I must, my heart says, "'I can.'' My strength is proportionate to the strength of those cords that bind me. I am never so unrestrained as when I am constrained by Thy love. Evermore, Thou divine Spirit, guide me by this instinct of the right. Put round about my heart the cord of Thy captivating love and draw me whither in my own light I would not go. Bind me to Thyself as Thou bindest the planets to the sun, that it may become the very law of my nature to be led by Thee. May I be content to know that goodness and mercy shall follow me without waiting to see them in advance of me. May I be content to feel that my
God shall be my rearward without folding my hands till I find Him in the van. My journey to Jerusalem shall be fraught with power when in the strength of the Spirit I am bound to go.
Voices of the Spirit
Christian Freedom 'Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ.'' Ephesians 3:2
Make me a captive, Lord, And then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, And I shall conqueror be.
I sink in life's alarms When by myself I stand; Imprison me within Thine arms, And strong shall be my hand.
2 My heart is weak and poor Until it master find; It has no spring of action sure — It varies with the wind.
It cannot freely move Till Thou hast wrought its chain; Enslave it with Thy matchless love, And deathless it shall reign.
3 My power is faint and low Till I have learned to serve; It wants the needed fire to glow, It wants the breeze to nerve; It cannot drive the world Until itself be driven; Its flag can only be unfurled When Thou shalt breathe from heaven.
4 My will is not my own Till Thou has made it Thine; If it would reach a monarch's throne It must its crown resign; It only stands unbent Amid the clashing strife When on Thy bosom it has leant And found in Thee its life.
Sacred Songs