[ampaterry]

Thanks, guys -
Although FEW of us actually "pray without ceasing", all of us need to work on more communication with God -

For today -

Freedom and discipline have come to be regarded as mutually exclusive, but this is simply not the case. Freedom is not the opposite, but the final reward of discipline! You cannot simply claim freedom, but must rather purchase it with a high price.

For instance, in the Martial Arts, the goal to be attained is the ‘empty mind’. To be in this state means that you go into a situation without any thoughts of moves, either offensive or defensive. To the uninitiated, this seems a foolish thing indeed; if you are not planning what to do, how can you possibly hope to survive an encounter? Well, if you just decide one day to be a martial artist, and purposefully blank your mind before going up against an opponent, you are going to get hurt – no doubt about it.

The secret is that the freedom of the empty mind is only useful after you have gone through years of training and discipline in the martial arts. You have practiced every possible move so much that it is automatic – just like jerking your hand back when it is burned – you don’t have to think about it! Then, and only then, you can experience the true freedom of purposefully emptying your mind with the assurance that your reflexes will take over and protect you in the battle ahead. Your reactions will be much faster than they would be if you had to see what was coming, think about it, and then decide what to do.

Liberty as a Christian also requires much hard work and discipline. You spend years working at doing what is right, at consciously deciding in each situation what Christ would have you do, and you continue this training until doing the right thing is automatic - it is a reflex, not requiring conscious thought.

1 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV);
"But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak."
Galatians 5:13 (KJV);
"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."
1 Peter 2:16 (KJV);
"As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."

May God bless you, guys, with true freedom -