Wonderfully Free

Day 4: Wonderfully free.

“Let me be clear, the Anointed One has set us free—not partially, but completely and wonderfully free! We must always cherish this truth and stubbornly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.”
Galatians 5:1 (TPT)

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:36 (NIV)

My mom is my hero. She taught me so much about life.

Just watching her juggle parenting three busy daughters, working full-time, and being supportive of my Dad’s pastoral calling, I learned valuable lessons in faith, courage, and energy. As I reminisced about living at home with my parents, I remember the hot meals waiting for me at the end of every day. How was my mom able to do this? My sons certainly didn’t receive this special treatment every day.

My mom is also very wise. One day I was sharing about the challenge of living the Jesus-centered life. I told her how I often feel like my default behavior is to trust myself over trusting God. She simply said, “Patriece, I have to choose to follow Jesus every day.”

Every day? What the what??

I’ve seen her consistently walk out her faith boldly and reverently. Her honest response was a bit of a shock. Ultimately, my hope is in Jesus. He gave the ultimate gift for me on the cross that I might walk in freedom. For me to follow Jesus faithfully, I must choose him. Every day. God loves us too much to force us into his way. He displays ultimate love by giving us freedom. A worship song that I sang a long time ago came to mind while I was writing this devotion. It goes a little something like this:

You paid much too high a price for me
In tears and blood and pain
To have my soul just stirred at times
Yet never truly change
You deserve a fiery love
That won’t ignore Your sacrifice
Because You paid much too high a price.

Jesus paid for my freedom with His life. His sacrifice for us is worth holding on to wholeheartedly.

The Fourth of July in 2020 was super weird. With a pandemic lingering and social unrest rising, the atmosphere was heavy. Celebrating our national holiday felt ill-timed. However, freedom as a nation and as Jesus followers is always worth celebrating.

As I sat in my red Adirondack chair on that beautiful, sunny July 4th, I felt this was a good time to reflect on my personal freedom. I want to “…stubbornly refuse to go back to the bondage of our past.”(Galatians 5:1) Once we say “yes” to Jesus, a chain of events begins that frees us from whatever may have held us captive. Shame is broken. Fear is banished . Hope is restored. We are no longer slaves to sin. The old life is gone. Let the new life begin. We aren’t perfect. Just forgiven. We are free indeed!

Reflection

What are the things of the past that hold you captive today? What are the steps you need to make to not go back to past attempts at success, but keep moving forward?

Take a moment, take a deep breath, and surrender to Jesus. Then pray the following prayer:

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for the price you paid on the cross for me. Help me to choose You every day. Help me to keep moving forward instead of returning to the things that capture my heart and draw me away from you. Help us as a nation and as a church to find healing, find unity against the injustices of the world, and the hope that comes only from You. We no longer want to be held captive by the hurts and mistakes that want to divide us. Thank you for the freedom that comes from following You. Amen.