I find it interesting how easy it is for forgetfulness to set in. As people who claim, if you’re one of them, to follow Christ, we should be using these especially hard days to drink deeply from the well of Scripture to remain strong in our faith.
How easy it is to forget what Jesus told us. Why?
- Because we don’t read our Bibles.
- We don’t study our Bibles.
- We don’t memorize Scripture.
Simply put — we put other things before God.
For this reason, I see people who claim to be Christians who are increasingly becoming:
- slaves to fear,
- slaves to anger,
- slaves to hate,
- slaves to the words of man over the words of God.
What happened to “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”?*
Jesus said these words to people who denied ever being enslaved. That’s what happens, you see, when something grips us so tightly, we sometimes don’t even realize it’s gained control. You may be one who is so gripped by fear, you don’t realize that you’ve become its slave. Jesus has an answer to that:
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.*
Those who were not following God in the first place, only claiming to, were not accepting this truth. If we belong to God, if we truly believe in Christ, we will hear what God says and not allow our fears or anger to enslave us.
In Christ, we are set free from the bondage of sin and the condemnation of the law. Just like the Apostle Paul warned the churches of returning to works after having begun with the Spirit, so we need to watch ourselves, lest we give up the freedom that Christ gives by allowing our minds to be controlled by fear, anger, hate and the words of those, who definitely do not hold the words of life.*
When we return to the Source of Life, the Word of Life, we can say with John:
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
When I experience the true freedom in Christ, the free-indeed type of freedom, the circumstances of my day can do me no harm, for whether I live or die, I belong to the Lord. There is no fear of a punishment, because he’s already paid the price for what we deserve.
Rest in the love that has set you free.
Are you free, or are you living a life enslaved to doubt in the sovereignty of a loving God?
Choose to live free, you can indeed, by choosing Christ and remaining in his beautiful, comforting, encouraging Word.
Grace and Peace
*John 8:36 (NIV)
*John 8:31-32.
*John 6:68 – Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
*1 John 4:18.