Freedom for...

Matthew 25 : 1 - 13

Keep watch because you do not know the day or hour

Today is our country's fiftieth anniversary. Malaysia is a year older than me. Much has been said in the news by various people about what it all means to us. "Merdeka" means "freedom" and we have to ask ourselves two questions whenever we think of this word. Our country sought "freedom from".......colonial rule fifty years ago, but what was the "freedom for"? Have a found our true identity as a nation? I leave it to those who know better to comment on that.

The freedom that is closer home for me as a parent is the 'independence' being sought by my teenage children. At this stage in their lives, it is a natural urge to find themselves: a search for identity in psychological terms. They will no longer accept what the 'adults' (especially parents) say without question and without screening it through their own lenses. So there is much negotiation these days about how much and what that "freedom" means for them. They seem to know what they want to be "free from" but at this age may not be mature enough to really consider what they desire to be "free for". In many situations they have not considered what it truly means to live in "freedom". (As a parent, I must admit how difficult it is to guide them at this stage but thankfully, this leads me back to the Lord for wisdom)

Freedom is also something we need to understand in our relationship with God. In coming to know God, we have been freed first from bondage to sin, and then from the many other bondages that would inhibit our responses to him. Again there is both a "freedom from" and a "freedom for". It can never stop with the former. Our spiritual journey is always a reaching out for the latter, discovering step by step what we have been freed for. The Lord delights in leading us as we cooperate with him and allow him to guide us towards what will bring fullness of life for us and for others. If I had to summarize what being freed for means, I would say that Jesus states it very clearly in the Great Commandment. 'Love God and love your neighbour.' Simple foundational commands from which come the Great Commission.

Today's passage reminds us to live prepared lives. We do not know the day or hour of our Lord's return. We cannot postpone living for God, in the manner that he calls each one of us uniquely to.

As beloved sons and daughters, we have the great privilege of living for the praise and glory of God. True freedom indeed!