Bound

(2Timothy 2:9) “… But the word of God is not bound!”

There are many ways to bind individuals and for many varying reasons. A thief is sentenced to a term in jail and is bound by the constraints of his punishment. He must serve a term of imprisonment and abide by the rules of that institution if it is to fair as well as can be expected. When the criminal does the binding it has a similar effect it keeps his victim at bay while he loots. Sin and its power have this effect on mankind, its sin that binds a person to do that which he also hates and when the damage is realised regret sets in. There are many examples that we could glean from and whether the motive to bind is honorable or dishonorable we understand the effect of “binding”. However the Word of God cannot be bound, praise God for that. We must learn to depend upon it as our lives rest on its instruction.

The Spirit of God cannot be bound or either swayed to preform actions regretted, He always acts out of righteousness. He is the light of the world, who leads men and women into truth. It’s when we learn to appropriate what He teaches into our live that we will become useful, if salt looses its flavour what use is it? As Christians we have an enemy that always looks to plunder and rob us of this privilege, the Christians call to duty is to put on the mind of Christ, which will always lead us towards His truth in any given circumstance. But in order for this to happen we must apply what is taught into our lives on a practical level.

This is where an individual will find freedom and not in the traps of society that have been designed to misguide our thoughts as it endeavours to captivate us with its snares; money and the lies it is able to formulate in an individuals mind is one of the biggest lures of all. Covetousness, simply means; to want what somebody else has. The mind of Christ teaches us this truth on the subject; “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1 Timothy 6:8) - Do you see the extreme opposites at play, one is driven by the lust of our flesh whilst the other by the Spirit of God. Easy measures to establish were we are on the subject. We must be honest with ourselves and we will soon see how we fair on this topic.

God has been merciful to me concerning the reality of the lust of money and how its sway drives individuals away from God and not towards Him. Not only has He help me understand matters of the heart concerning money, but has placed me in a situation for some time now where on a practical level it has been more that a thought but I have been living its reality. We habitually need these types of examples in our lives for the lesson to stick. Our flesh drives us in this direction, the move we have the move we want; “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10)  

The Spirits lesson on the other hand is the less we have the less we actually need and the happier we are. God’s ability to use the opposites to teach us the basic fundamentals of the Christian life often astounds me and how brilliant He actually is. Ever wise all knowing God, the only true and living God, Jehovah, the great “I AM”, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and also the God and Father of all those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in His resurrection. To put on the mind of Christ in this area of our lives means; “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11)

Please help me Father God to find the spirit of gentleness when I am confronted by these snares that looks to throw me off course. They are often not far from home and sadly the flesh and my old nature is often stirred away from gentleness instead of towards it, I seek out your forgiveness and ask you to renew a right spirit within me concerning money and our necessity of it. Continue to help me put on the mind of Christ in every area of my life and not only the parts that are more conclusive to change.

One thing I am persuaded of is that you are in perfect control and we have been called to live by faith and when you decide that enough is enough in a particular area of our lives so it shall be. And if not, we must find contentment wherever we find ourselves, thank you Lord Jesus for your perfect example, and thank you for drinking the whole cup that has set so many free, whilst helping others realise the freedom that you have bought for them in your finished work, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone