Son or Slave?

Are you currently living as a slave, or as a son/daughter? During my Indonesia trip I realized more and more that i'm falling into a slave like mentality, failing to appropriate and live out the freedom for which Christ died for. As believers, we are sons and daughters of God, not servants nor slaves. Yet we often have a slave like mentality.

"The Parable of the prodigal son epitomizes the disposition of some Christians, even whey are restored to fellowship with God. Lurking in their hearts there often remains this sneaking suspicion: "I am not worthy to be God's son, but perhaps I can struggle through as one of his hired servants."

At the root of such thinking is an inability to believe that salvation is entirely of God's grace and love. We contribute nothing to it, we can do nothing to earn it in any way. We are often slow to realize the implications of that. We are sons, but we are always in danger of having the mindset of hired servants...the Devil...will try to produce in us what our forefathers called 'a bondage frame of spirit'."

- Sinclair Ferguson, Children of the Living God

Gal. 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Pray without ceasing?

It's 3:50 am...and I can't sleep. So i'm going to try and blog again...I just got back from Indonesia, and i'm going to share one thing I want to make sure I remember. They focus on Paul's words where he says....

1Th. 5:17 pray without ceasing...

Now before this trip, I intellectually may have understood what this meant. I knew it didn't mean that we're on our knees all day every day, but rather it was more like an attitude. A continuous feeling of dependence upon the Father. Yet, I wonder how much i had experienced it at the time?

Yet, God has been teaching me much these past 3 weeks. This was the theme for me. During the first week there, we prayed everywhere. We prayed out loud, by ourselves, we prayed while walking around, we prayed for it not to rain, we prayed for the city, the people, we prayed for amazing to happen, we prayed for the daily mundane to happen (ex. for the car to start). We prayed when we woke up in the middle of the night. We prayed everywhere and at any time. And this clearly effected my attitude throughout the day. I was definitely more thankful, for God was answering our prayers, and I believe I was more in tune with His Spirit.

But I kept thinking to myself, why am I not like this at home? What is hindering me from praying unceasingly in the states? Would not my faith be revolutionized if I had this kind of attitude at home? When im in a coffee shop praying for divine opportunities to share, when i'm driving on the road (thanking God for keeping me safe), when i'm with my friends (praying that they would grow in the gospel....why can't I go for a prayer walk at home?

Obviously I lack of feeling of desperation when i'm at home. I lack a dependency upon God that is typically awakened when one goes on an M. trip. But I want that...and i'll strive for it here...in california. No longer do I need to depend solely on a "Prayer time" (though i believe that's necessary), but everyday all day, will now be a prayer time.