There is a time to tear and a time to mend. There is a time to speak and there is a time to be silent. There is a time to fight and there is a time to refrain from fighting. Ecclesiastes 3:7-8 (author paraphrase, NIV)
Freedom means that you have a choice. The question is: “What course of action is going to bring the best chance of seeing God’s grace break through?” How do you discern the time?
You remember the objective and you ask What can I do that is most likely to bring light into darkness, and grace and warmth into the coldness of broken lives?
The impact of your life will depend in large measure on the way you use your freedom. Acting redemptively is more important than being heard. It is more important than winning the argument. It is more important than getting your rights.
The Bible does not offer guaranteed outcomes for any choices that we make, but if we are serious about seeing people who are deeply resistant to the good news of Jesus Christ coming to glorify God, then let’s use our freedom to make some different choices.
We will not win our communities by insisting on our rights. You win your community by acting redemptively. We will not change our places of work by endless conflict. You win your workplace by the quality and spirit of what you do. We will not heal our marriages by insisting on our way. You heal your marriage by showing grace, consideration, and restraint.
In a world that is consumed with conflict, God has given you the freedom to make a different choice that reflects the character of Jesus. That’s how change will come.
Where do you need to use your freedom to make a different choice?
