Verse of the day: John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
What does it mean to be truly free? For most people it means being able to do whatever they want to do, based on whatever they deem to be right. However, being truly free can only come from having a real, and genuine, relationship with Jesus Christ. Until that happens, we are enslaved. We are enslaved to sin. We are enslaved to Satan, his lies, and his deceptions. We are enslaved to the grave, and eternal death (Hell, a place not created for man, but for the devil and his angels; Matt 25:41, and the Lake of Fire). When we choose unbelief, we choose to continue not being truly free, and the Bible tells us that we are choosing condemnation; thereby condemning ourselves (Jn 3:18); contrary to God's desire for us. He desires that none should perish, and that all should come to repentance (1 Pt 3:9). In this chapter of the Book of John, the Jews tried to argue with Jesus on the basis that they were free because they were of the seed of Abraham. Jesus was very clear that though they were the seed of Abraham, their actions, clearly demonstrated that they belonged to Satan (Jn 8:37-46). Because they belonged to Satan, they were not free at all. Today it is no different, and that truth still stands. Until we call upon Jesus, and accept eternal life, as He offers it, we are not truly free (John 3:3; 3:14-18). For those of us who have already accepted God's salvation in Christ, we are free from sin and condemnation (Rm 8:1). We are free from the grip of Satan's lies (the father of lies), and his deceptions (Rm 8:44). We are free from worry (Matt 6:25-34). We are free from the fear of the grave, and of eternal death (Heb 2:14; 1 Cor 15:54-56). Let us not make the mistake of thinking that we have been set free for the purpose of doing whatever we want. We have been set free in order that we might serve God, and worship Him, in spirit and truth (Jn 4:23-24). Jesus is Truth, and in Him is the only place that we will find truth, and it is this truth, if we live by it, that will enable us to live truly free in Christ. When we live in accordance to God's Word, we will avoid being entangled in the things of this world (2 Timothy 2:4), and will keep from allowing sin to enslave us once again; for who we choose to serve is who we will be a slave to (Rm 6:16-17). The bottom line is that we are free when we choose to live according to God's truth, and not our own twisted, and watered down, version of truth (which is not truth at all). Now that we are free, in Jesus, to serve God, how are we using that freedom? For our own selfish end, or God's glory? If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, then this one thing I know; you are in prison, and enslaved to sin, worry, the fear of death, the devils, this world system, and your own lustful desires. If you want freedom from all of that, you must call upon Jesus who died to give us eternal life, and set us free (John 3:16; Romans 10:13). Do not hesitate to call upon Him today (right now), for we are not guaranteed tomorrow, for tomorrow may be too late (James 4:14).
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