Galatians 5:1 (New International Version)
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.
Through no fault of her own, she found herself a slave to
the undesirable passions of the ones she called "family". Bruised and
broken by the hardships of her life, lost in the clutches of someone else's
sin, she had nowhere to turn. She desperately needed a positive role model in
her life; but there simply wasn't one to be had.
Then she became introduced to the music of a popular
songwriter and artist. Everything about this singer, from her clothing, her
manner, her style, even the words of her songs, spoke of disenchantment and
rebellion against authority. This was something the disillusioned teen could
relate to. She proceeded to dress like this singer, to talk like her, to style
her hair like her, to want what she wanted, to dream what she dreamed. She had
finally found her role model. But it didn't bring her the happiness she craved.
The seemingly endless cycle of abuse finally came out
into the open, and the law brought it to an abrupt end. But now the secret was
out. All of her family knew. All of her friends knew. The shame was more than
she could endure. The nightmare had ended, but a new one had begun.
She decided to place a phone call to another country. She
had family there. Family who barely knew her. Maybe they wouldn't realize what
a stigma she had become. Maybe they wouldn't be afraid to help her out.
"Can I come to visit you?" was the desperate plea.
To her surprise, the request was greeted with enthusiasm
and she was invited to find shelter in their home. A series of miracles brought
her through immigration, and in this new land, this new home, surrounded by
love, she began to blossom.
It was a glorious day when she discovered that human
fathers don't always accurately portray our Heavenly Father. She hungrily
grasped salvation, and little by little she was filled with light from above.
This was visible in her countenance. The dark shadows under her eyes vanished.
Her smiles became genuine. She was able to talk about the past, and the simple
act of confessing the things that had haunted her liberated her from the
invisible burdens that had been weighing upon her shoulders. She was able to
forgive those who had hurt her so badly, and for the first time in her life,
she experienced true freedom. From a rose, trampled to the ground, she
transformed into a butterfly.
A few years later, she met and married a wonderful
Christian man, and they now have two beautiful children who are growing in the
shelter of the Lord. Jesus indeed changes people who are enslaved to sin, into
free sons and daughters of the Kingdom.
God's Word is quite clear that anyone who sins is a
slave. This includes you and me: "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins
is a slave to sin." (John 8:34 NIV); "I am unspiritual, sold as a
slave to sin." (Rom 7:14 NIV); and "For a man is a slave to whatever
has mastered him." (2 Peter 2:19 NIV)
However God's Word also speaks of another kind of
slavery, one that sets people free from sin: "But now that you have been
set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to
holiness, and the result is eternal life." (Rom 6:22-23 NIV); "You
have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." (Rom
6:18 NIV); and "Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me
free from the law of sin and death." (Rom 8:2 NIV)
Those who discover who God truly is and accept Him into
their lives discover abundant freedom: "So if the Son sets you free, you
will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV)
Even though those who accept Jesus' gift of salvation
become slaves to God, our loving Heavenly Father doesn't consider us as His
slaves, but as His sons and daughters, heirs to His kingdom! "So you are
no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an
heir." (Gal 4:7 NIV)
Dear Lord we pray today that we would surrender all to
You. We no longer want to be slave to the sin nature. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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