Freedom's Road Series

Freedom’s Road Series

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die

The understanding of freedom as it relates to our Christian faith has become a central quest in my desire to understand God’s purpose for our lives in a deeper manner. It is my hope that this series will develop in to larger revelation or illumination to the Body of Christ about the importance of understanding God’s will for each of us. It is often said that each of us is dispensable. The purpose of these articles is to prove in fact that each of us is indispensable that God made us for a specific purpose, a specific time and a specific manner, that we may be indispensable in that place.

There are many women who are qualified to raise children but only one is qualified to be my Mom. There are many qualified social workers and ministers but for this time and this place I am called to be the director of Housing First RI and the pastor of Faith Fellowship Church. Knowing these truths helps me to Love the place God has placed me and trust him with the accomplishment of all things that he desires. Contentment brings faith in this regard.

Acts 17:26-28From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.

The Lord put Adam in the Garden. He put him there because that was where he wanted him and he did not want him anyplace else. That was his “determined time and exact place.” He was given a job to do. I would attest to you that true freedom is found in the work we are called to do! He told Adam he was free, but free within limits. Adam was called to take care of the Garden. No man could volitionally jump generation, or choose what family in race he would be born to. Our diligence to finds God’s will, should be the same. Jesus said “I have come to do the will of the Father, He is always working and so I must work too.”

Freedom’s Purpose:

God has made me free,
He has made me free that I might find me
In finding me, I find thee, The only true God and maker of all, the maker of me.

God has made me free
I find in me all that is not thee
I find in me all that can be in thee,
In finding thee I find glee, I find joy
It builds up and does not destroy

God has made me free
He has made me free to work and toil
To work for treasures that do not fade do not spoil.
A thorn a brier I will find along the way,
Yet, The soil is rich, the labor divine,
In you I am free for all of time.

Rev. Don Boucher July 2009

Biblical Freedom is found when our hearts desire and God’s desire for our lives are the same. Psalm 37:4

Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Freedom begins where God Places you. Gen 2:15

God Placed Adam in the Garden
He did not place Abraham there. He was called to go to a land he did not know.
He did not place Mosses there. He was called as a shepherd, a deliver, and law giver.
He did not place David. He too was called as a shepherd, a poet a psalmist, a king
He did not even call Jesus there. He was called as a carpenter, and a savior.

Where has God placed you?

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Also Reference Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 29

Freedoms 1st Task is Work

Adams work was to work the Garden
Jeremiah’s Work was as a prophet
Mosses as the Law Giver
David the King
Jesus the Savior
What is your Job?

When you truly begin to Live Free you will find your purpose!!!!

Freedom is built by family and Community.
18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam [g] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs [h] and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [i] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, [j] ' for she was taken out of man."
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
There were many distinctive to the Garden that I don’t think that we fully grasp. The nature of Adam’s relationship to the animals is one of those. I will be speaking in a later articles about man’s abuse of freedom that leads to the flood. I mention it now because the Noah narrative tells us that the fear of man did not come upon the animal kingdom until after the flood. In the Garden narrative we see Eve converse with the serpent. Whatever the nature of Adam’s relationship with the animal kingdom was it was insufficient. He could not be free outside the context of human community. Every community begins with family and where there is true freedom there is the absence of shame.
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
More on Shame next time, it is the first enemy of Freedom.