Rights and Responsibilities

I have partly been using my time to look at different Bible study material that the Church can use both now and later. One of the courses I have been looking over is the Freedom in Christ book by Neil Anderson and Steve Goss. I am finding some really good material here to help us grow into the freedom we are given as believers in Christ. yesterday I was talking about how God uses the clouds of life to help us 'unlearn' things, i.e. to break the hold of the shadows in our lives, those things, people or ideas which can hang over us and to set us free to being in a place of really living with a reliance on Jesus only, he being the one to provide us with the security and affirmation that we need as a foundation in our lives.

Anderson and Goss have some very interesting material on the rights and responsibilities we have in our relationships. We cannot change others that is God's job, so they sum up our responsibilities as: developing our own character and serving the needs of others.

In the midst of the pandemic it has been amazing to see the growing concern for others, to see the genuine gratefulness being expressed to those who are serving and sacrificing for others, to see the value people are placing on being community. Some shadows are falling away. As Church good relationships should mark us out all the time but even as Christians we can lose our focus sometimes.

Another very challenging quote says: 'when we stand before Jesus at the end of our earthly lives, where will he put the emphasis? will he say to you, " did those other guys give you everything they should have?" Or will he focus on how well I loved those he put in my care?' (freedom in Christ p178)

So are we going to claim our rights or choose to pick up our responsibilities and just trust God with the rest, our positions, our respect, our vindication etc?

Jesus says John 13:35: By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Lets focus on the responsibility of serving the needs of others and we will be amazed at the impact