TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Yesterday was our “Gotcha Day” for our dog, Beth. We adopted her nine years ago when she was three years old. It’s a long story how we ended up finding her in an animal shelter in West Virginia, but I’ll sum it up to say it was the most horrible animal shelter I’ve ever been in. It was grey and dark and I vividly remember my husband bringing me over to her cage. She was sitting in the middle of a concrete floor with a drain on one side, a filthy water bowl on the other, and her head was hanging down. The stench was overwhelming. She was the saddest dog I’ve ever seen and even though I was, at the time, more of a cat person, I felt so sorry for her.
But after we filled out her adoption paperwork and we took her outside, her entire demeanor changed. She was literally jumping for joy on the grassy knoll by the front door. It was a little like trying to take a bucking bronco out on a leash, but it was clear she knew she was rescued.
I was hesitant to use a dog’s story to set the stage of our own redemption, because clearly — we aren’t dogs. But I can’t help but see the similarities.
We all sit in our own grey cell, imprisoned by our sin, our shame, our circumstances. We feel lonely, isolated, defeated. We feel unloved and unwanted. Some people may manage to decorate their cell, but no amount of glitter will ever totally transform a prison cell from what it really is. No amount of success will ever mask the pungent truth that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Sin imprisons all of us, but Jesus offers us a way to be free. Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
The Son shines upon us and we are free! Yet, there are those who continue to live in the dank cells of shame. They know they’ve been adopted as the sons and daughters of God the Father. They have experienced the salvation of Jesus. But instead of basking in the Son, they retreat to their cages. They are fearful and broken, hesitant to believe that God has made them a new creation in Christ! They are scared to trust that they don’t have to live in the prison of shame.
And that’s exactly what the enemy wants. The enemy doesn’t care if you’ve accepted Jesus, he simply doesn’t want you to live for Him. Satan doesn’t want others to see first-hand evidence that you are a new creation in Christ. He loves it when Christians stay down and defeated and retreat to their prison cells. It’s only when you begin to let God transform you that you become a threat to the enemy.
Friends, if you are free, you are free indeed. Jesus said that in John 8:36. It’s straight from the mouth of the One who offers you freedom and only One who has the authority to do so!
If you’re saved, but living like the imprisoned, it’s time to step into the Son’s light and let Him help you experience the glorious freedom that He alone can give. Jump for joy! Let Him enjoy your happiness at the freedom He has given you!
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for freeing you from the prison of your sin. Thank Him for being your Rescuer and Redeemer! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live a life that shows Jesus’ transformative powers alive within you. Ask Him to help you live with a spirit of freedom and gratitude for all Christ has done for you!
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
