Have you noticed how some people express how free they are, and yet they dress all the same and are bound to an unwritten code of practice?
Whether that is as a Hippie, a Rocker, or even living in Suburbia, most of us ‘conform’ and are bound by outside pressures.
Even those who pride themselves at rebelling conform to the rebel mould!
They probably felt restricted by their parents generation, by the government, by their teachers.
But did they actually get free?
Yes they could throw off restraints but they could end up being very self centred.
How does Jesus see us, will he say “Well done“.
Do we need to follow our conscience, or is our conscience even right?
Can Christians get a divorce and remarry?
So how to break free, but break free from what?
The word ‘free’ means to do as one wishes; not under the control of another, not confined or imprisoned.
Jesus caused a bit of a stir by saying:
If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples (follower’s) then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
They immediately thought ‘set free? – We’ve never been slaves to anyone!’
And we would have said the same!
But Jesus’ answer is very interesting, He said:
“I tell you the Truth. Everyone who sins is a SLAVE to sin.”
They could have thought; ‘Well murderers, perverts, bullies, etc SHOULD feel chained up!’
But Jesus seems to imply that all of his audience were NOT free.
So what is sin?
It’s all those things we shouldn’t have done to other people:
Telling lies, cruel thoughts, hurting people, etc.
And it’s all those things that we should have done: A helping hand, sharing things, encouraging rather than criticising, etc.
It’s also when we ignore GOD and go our own way.
So when we tell lies, or have cruel thoughts, or don’t help people, or ignore God and do what we want in a selfish way, then, WE are a slave to those bad things.
Do we really want to be free?
Not free to please ourselves, whilst hurting others, but be free to please God.
How to break free?
Jesus has told us that already!
If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples (follower’s) then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”
It is the Truth that set’s us free. And the Truth is what Jesus teaches.
Do you want to know the Truth?
Then surrender to Jesus and follow Him.
A lady with a bad health problem reaches out to Jesus…
We may know that God cares for his own, but he reaches out to others also.
Jesus calls death ‘sleep’ and people laughed at him.
God had promised David in the Bible that he was going to be king, but there was a big problem; Saul was an evil king and David still followed his own conscience.
Are we feeling desperate enough to turn to Jesus?
Images: thanks to Serif ARTGallery CD