Tuesday September 22nd, 2015 John 8:21-38
"If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (verses 31-32)
Somehow or other, we come to believe that freedom means being answerable only to ourselves. We like to believe that freedom means that I can do what I want, say what I want, go where I want. And though there is some truth to that, it is never totally that way, especially not for Christian people.
When we were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we became Christ’s daughter or son. Paul goes so far as to say, we “were bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:20) In Christ, we are not free to do whatever we like. In Christ we are free to be servants, or as the Greek has it, slaves of Jesus Christ. We have thrown off one master-sin, death and the devil-but now have another, our Lord Jesus Christ.
This means that we take our direction from Jesus. We go where he directs, love those he sets before us each day, and do what he asks. There is no room for negotiation. We do it because he commands us to. We also do it because we know that Jesus is a benevolent master, with an unending love for us.
Lord Jesus, make me obedient to your will, today and every day. Amen. — DAB
Contributed by Freedom
Somehow or other, we come to believe that freedom means being answerable only to ourselves. We like to believe that freedom means that I can do what I want, say what I want, go where I want. And though there is some truth to that, it is never totally that way, especially not for Christian people.
When we were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we became Christ's daughter or son. Paul goes so far as to say, we "were bought with a price." (1 Corinthians 6:20) In Christ, we are not free to do whatever we like. In Christ we are free to be servants, or as the Greek has it, slaves of Jesus Christ. We have thrown off one master-sin, death and the devil-but now have another, our Lord Jesus Christ.
This means that we take our direction from Jesus. We go where he directs, love those he sets before us each day, and do what he asks. There is no room for negotiation. We do it because he commands us to. We also do it because we know that Jesus is a benevolent master, with an unending love for us.
