BIRTHDAYS:
† James Wilson 7/20 †

MEN’S NIGHT OUT!!!

Logan’s is the destination for the men of Victory on July 8th. They will meet at 6:30 p.m. on church property before departing for dinner.

WOMEN’S NIGHT OUT!!!

On July 19th the women of Victory will meet at 6:30 p.m. on church property and dine at Champs for the evening.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

There will be fireworks after the evening service on the 4th of July. Bring drinks and finger food to share the display.

LORD’S SUPPER

We will partake of Holy Communion during the morning service on Sunday, July 11. Join us as we remember Christ’s death until He returns.

WORK DAY

We will be holding a work day on July 17th. The focus will be on cleaning up the grounds of Victory Church. Work begins at 9am. See Janice and Bethany about plans for lunch.

DANGEROUS FREEDOM

     Freedom is dangerous in the hands of those who don’t know how to use it. That’s why criminals are confined in prisons with barbed wire, steel bars, and concrete barriers. Or consider a campfire that is allowed to spread in a dry forest. It quickly becomes a blazing inferno. Unchecked freedom can create chaos.

     Nowhere is this more evident than in the Christian life. Believers are free from the law’s curse, its penalty, and its guilt-producing power. Fear, anxiety, and guilt are replaced by peace, forgiveness, and liberty. Who could be more free than one who is free in the depths of his soul? But here is where we often fail. We use freedom’s luxury to live selfishly, or we claim ownership of what God has merely entrusted to us. We slip into patterns of self-indulgent living, especially in affluent societies.

     The proper use of freedom is “faith working through love” to serve one another (Gal. 5:6,13). When we rely on the Spirit and expend our energies on loving God and helping others, the destructive works of the flesh will be restrained by God (vv.16-21). So let’s always use our liberty to build up, not to tear down.

Like a raging fire, freedom without limits is dangerous. But when controlled, it is a blessing to all.

from Our Daily Bread July 4, 2009