Goody bags are the best. Well, anything FREE is good or….. NOT????…..Hmmmm!!!

Well, I learnt some time back on how I react when receiving anything free. I accept the ‘gift’ with a smile and a gratitude heart; while, I make a mental note of ‘need to buy’ the giver a gift soon. If it’s a store given freebie or gift bag, I feel this need to buy additional things to support the store for their action. In other words, I get this ‘don’t –want-to-owe-anyone- for- anything’ kind of feeling. Subconsciously, I guess its cause of the notion that everything you get for free has a catch to it and there are always terms and conditions attached.

Enter Jesus, this amazing guy who unconditionally gave away food, healed, imparted knowledge, gifted, shared everything he had with everyone around him, and finally laid his life on the cross to save malefactors, so they could have a second chance at life here in this unkind world. ALL this and more he did for free, so we may be and live FREE. There are almost 260 verses in the bible with the world free in them.
At first grasping that someone would think I was worthy enough to die was really hard. But, after getting to know Jesus, I realized that his deed of love is what sets him apart from us and everyone. He did a unique act. It was done ‘all for free’ with no terms and conditions.

Many believers go through their believers-walk ‘doing’ things for GOD. They walk around and though they believe salvation is free, they are still seeking, measuring the results in their life based on their actions. If anything bad happens, the immediate reaction is, I must have hurt God, and thus I am punished. The mindset I did not get this, maybe because I did not give that arises.

Doing good things should not be to pay back Jesus for his action, or for us to gain brownie points from him so as to receive and live a happy life. We were loved, when we had no points! He does not want us to prove anything to him. He knit us and knew us even before we knew him. All he needs for us is to live a complete life by understanding that we don’t have to fight to fit or set conditions on our life to receive.

Tithing for me used to be an obligatory action. I used to think if I could save that money, it would help. But, I kept tithing, while unconsciously being unhappy. I kept doing it because I ‘had’ to because it says so and the Lord has always been there and heard all my prayers. One day I was driving home and I heard this voice whisper in my ears and it said “I don’t need your money. I need your heart”. I started to cry but I admit, there was a sense of relief. I stopped tithing and started spending money without putting any restraint on it. The three months, in which I did not tithe, I got promoted, my spouse got promoted and at the end of every month I had managed to save more than I ever did. It confused me. How could me not doing what I should make me prosperous. Then, I recalled the whisper. The Lord just wanted my heart, my love, my joy, my prayers, ME. It was not my actions, but my heart that he heard.

I remember the night I made the decision to start tithing again. I felt this release from the ‘have to’ state of mind and a power awakening the ‘love to tithe’ from within. I wanted to start tithing because he never stopped loving ME freely! NO TERMS AND CONDITIONS ATTACHED!

Do not let the negativity thrown at you by the world affect you or hinder you faith walk. Your circumstance no matter what you are feeling is temporary. You don’t have to feel like you are punished. Jesus is our rescuer and he will ‘undo’ your bondage for free. All you need to do is pray, talk to him, BE YOU. You will find your release in his strength and power.

Titus 2:14 says “He gave himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good things.”

“We should do; because we want to do”. Remember, doing should come naturally for you; to feel and stay free.