A new study by different sources has just come out showing New Zealand is the freest nation in the world with the United States tied in seventh position with Denmark. http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/news/display.aspx?id=19171
The thing that allows freedom and makes it work is moral individual responsibility. If an individual refuses to be guided by moral responsibility towards his neighbors he is usually put in jail to protect the freedoms of those who do. Only when each individual is guided by a moral standard (which has been made clear in the Bible) does he love his neighbor as himself. And the greatest moral agent which the Bible speaks of is the one that comes into a person who has given his life to Christ and has been given a new heart, spirit and mind from heaven (the heart, Spirit and mind of Christ) which is over-written with the law of love. And against God’s love there is no law. If you love someone unselfishly you will not kill them, steal from them, covet what is theirs, etc. and in general you will show them kindness and honor.
The Constitution of the United States gives forth a “Bill of Rights” to its citizens, but these “rights” only work in a positive way when they are given to a moral people. Because of the lack of moral fiber in our country we are watching these “rights” become instruments of abuse to the freedoms of others. For instance the first amendment or freedom of speech is being used to disseminate pornography and all manner of movies and video games showing graphic sex and murder to the young formative minds of children. Sex education in our schools is not allowed to be taught with the admonition that sex is meant to happen in the framework of a marriage between a man and a woman where the resultant children are nurtured, loved and cared for. And what is the result of this abuse of our “freedom of speech”? Young people that are consumed with thoughts of sex and violence who act these things out. Another example of this is the second amendment which protects “the right to keep and bear arms” in America. Yet what do we find in an amoral society? Guns are being used not only for purposes of sporting and self-defence, but to make it easier for warped minds and criminals to steal and kill. The end result is that as morality declines in this country there will be a total camp-down on all rights as it is turned into a totalitarian police state and the whole country becomes a prison.
With all this in mind and New Zealand being listed as number one for freedoms granted to its citizens and the U.S. tied for seventh, I have to wonder if New Zealand is basically a moral country with a low crime rate that has not yet been corrupted to the extent that we have in the U. S.
“We know that the Law is spiritual. But [if] I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin.”(Rom 7:14 CEV)
“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.” (Gal 5:1 NIV)
“For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” (1Pe 2:15-16 KJ2000)
You see only those filled with Christ, the true servants of Christ, can truly be free.
A Wilderness Voice 
[…] Read More: On Freedom […]
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Hi Michael
This reminds me again that only God is good and He created us to live out of His life, His goodness, His love, etc with a constant communion between kindered spirits. Apart from Him man has only one other spiritual source, the satan, hater and destroyer of our souls!
I am amazed by Pappa’s love and grace for still keeping a reign of sorts on evil. Can you imagine what will happen to this world once Jesus comes for His bride and the sweet Holy Spirit is not with man as He is now!
Oh, Michael, it breaks my heart when I see people completely under control of satan and not even knowing it.
What is more scary is the subtlety, sorry for going this road again, of religion. How can all our good efforts be sooo…… futile?!!
Let us allow Him to love others even more through us, for that is His heart towards us all!
Thank you for this. I am sure South Africa did not even make the list!
Blessings, love and a blessed day for you and your family!
Mia
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Mia,
You bring up some interesting and valid points. The main one being, our sufficiency that God meant us to have as we abide IN Christ and not ourselves. As we each “live and move and have our being in Him,” we have communion and unity in one another as members one of another in Christ’s body with Him as the Head. Religion nor the governments of men cannot provide that. As Paul put it elsewhere, “By Him do all things hold together.” It is the difference between inner-molecular covalent bonding and two dissimilar things being stuck together with glue.
Doctrines and laws might make individuals behave as it they are in agreement with the law or code of conduct, but it all falls apart when the test comes and pressure is put on the joint. Christ, on the other hand, has done all that is needed to break down the wall of separation that is between men (those who believe in Him) by first taking out of them their hearts of stone and putting in its place hearts that are supple in His hands. Two, He writes HIS commandment, the law of love, on those hearts, Third, He puts His Spirit in us and enables us to hear His voice as that same Spirit leads us INTO all Truth. We can only be one if we are of one heart and one accord in His Spirit.
Legal systems and the religions of men can do none of these things and their systems are doomed to fail. Only that which is IN Christ and its life is HIS life will survive in the days ahead. That is what the writer of Hebrews was talking about in this passage,
“…Jesus the mediator of the new covenant… See that you refuse not him that speaks. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape, if we turn away from him that speaks from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.”
(Heb 12:24-29 KJ2000)
May His great grace and love continue to be poured out on you as you abide in Him,
Michael
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Hi Michael,
I live in New Zealand and it is not a moral country and neither is it a free country.
You are forbidden to go to a school and tell people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Neither Bible reading or prayers are allowed at school.
Much of New Zealand society is very anti God and opposed to Christianity.
Recently they passed the redefinition of marriage bill here which legalizes gay and lesbian marriage.
True freedom can only be found in Jesus Christ.
Blessings
Tony
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