Freedom
Week 50
Romans 6: 15-23 – New Living Translation
The idea of slavery is something we don’t think about much these days. After all, we are all born free, aren’t we? It’s hard to imagine otherwise, isn’t it. The only image I have of true slavery is the one I’ve taken from television, films etc. Roots, that epic tale of the family of Kunta Kinti emerging over many generations from real slavery to become free men is about the closest I can get to imagining what it must have been like to be bound to someone and unable to live freely without their permission.
Democracy has done its work. It has given us freedom of speech, expression, and movement, even if, at times it may not feel like that. Like the criminal being set free from prison we have been set free to make our own choices, do the things we want to do, and live the life we want. We’re free, aren’t we? (I can hear the pantomime chant “Oh yes we are - oh no we’re not”).
If we’re honest we’ll all have something that enslaves us, though we may not choose to see it in those terms. Bad habits (sin), for instance, make us slaves. It may be a tendency to gossip, judge others, use profanities, or watch too much trashy TV. Alternatively, it may be something such as greed – maybe you’re a slave to money, chocolate, alcohol, or tobacco. All of these things make us slaves because they take our focus away from God.
In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6: 20-23)
True freedom is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Once you’ve accepted Him as your personal saviour you will enjoy freedom like you never thought possible; freedom to be the person that He wants you to be – and remember God’s plan for our lives is much better than any we might have in mind and so the person we’ll become, the person He wants us to be, will be a whole better than the one we were.
Being free allows us to live lives that please God and that will involve serving Him. We’re not set free to roam around in our own will but to serve God according to His will and purpose. And in acknowledging our new-found freedom we’ll want to serve Him willingly and joyfully as we delight in no longer being bound to anything other than the love of Christ.
If you feel a slave to something today Jesus has the key that can unlock and remove your chains and he’s only a prayer away.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, you offer the keys to freedom and eternal life, please pour out the Holy Spirit into each one of us and bring us into your perfect will for our lives today. Thank you for what you’re going to do in us.
Neil Bromage, 03/12/2023