Freedom Is Less Not More

Freedom is Less, Not More
A Powerful metaphor for life. 
 
I am a pastor, but a long, long time ago in this same galaxy, I was once an opera singer and obtained a fair bit of education on the topic of singing. 
 
Occasionally, I teach voice lessons, either at a local university or to a friend of one of my kids. 
 
There are similarities and parallels between singing and just about everything else. 
 
One of them is breathing. Breathing is a deep, deep concept. The Spirit and breath are connected—same word in fact—Pneuma — breath, life force, spirit…
 
But another similarity is freedom: To sing well, we must do as little as possible. 
 
Tension in the jaw, tongue, neck, and other places can encumber and cause bad singing. 
 
Good singing is characterized by total freedom. 
 
Teaching voice lessons is a tedious undertaking because it seems there are a thousand things a singer is doing that you have to, first, help them see (or hear), and then develop the awareness and the ability to stop doing them. 
 
But, oh… when it happens, it’s incredible. It feels good. It sounds good. It allows the singer to think about other things, like communicating in the song. 
 
Besides proper breathing, there is nothing more important than freedom. 
 
Life is the Very Same Way
 
Living life is just the same way. We do so many extra things in each activity that we undertake. We think too much. We commit too much. We major in minors and additives, and it prevents us from living the truly powerful but simple lives God created us for. 
 
Freedom is our birthright in the gospel (our “new birth”—right). 
 
Who the Son sets free is free indeed. (Jn 8:36)
 
Period. 
 
You received Jesus? You are free. 
 
Now what?
 
Follow Him. Obey Him. Walk by His Spirit and build your incredible “freedom life” around stewarding the desires and dreams God has given you. 
 
Stop everything else. 
 
The above command to follow Him and obey Him would feel to some like legalism (even if they won’t admit it) and burdensome. That’s because they see it as a duty to be like Christ. But it is not duty. It’s practical. It’s living.
God’s ways and all the “shoulds” in your life are causal, not duty. You don’t have to do anything because Jesus paid it all. 
 
You “get to” do whatever you want in the Spirit, whatever you are willing to pay for.
 
You don’t have to pay for your salvation. 
 
You don’t have to pay for your self-worth.
 
But you do have to pay for the outcomes you want in this life. And you choose those. 
 
God’s given you the desires of your heart because you have delighted in Him, but you have to look inside to pull those desires up through all the noise of the world. 
 
Do it with freedom. Focus on the Spirit and consider your values again. What will it take to get what you deeply want?  
 
Do it in freedom. 
 
The first thing singers need to let go of is jaw tension. 
 
The first thing disciples need to let go of is duty-bound law-keeping (shoulds). Jesus paid it all. All. All. All of it is paid for on the cross. Receive it and go free. 
 
Live the life from here on that you truly want in freedom, joy, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. 
 
God bless you today!