Believers are set free when we give our lives to Christ. Physical death can also set us free. This devotion looks at that freedom.
Nuggets
- Believing in Jesus sets us free from the stain of sin.
- Death can also set us free.
- While things happen to us for a reason, it may not be our reason.
- Even though we are set free, Jesus is there to help us in every aspect of our lives.
A couple of months ago, I dropped Adam off at school, and then I went to my church. I sat on the floor. That is my version of laying prostrate at His feet. (That is as good as it gets when you are old, folks.)
An hour earlier, I had learned that my cousin had died suddenly. So, I had come to God’s house to pray and process.
I had seen my cousin a couple of years before at our family reunion. Before that, I probably hadn’t seen him in 30 years.
There is enough age difference that, by the time I got old enough to start remembering things from my childhood, he was off doing his thing. I didn’t see him all that much.
Besides, he was a couple of states away. Once Grandma went to live with the kids and Grandpa died, the annual trips back stopped. I can remember seeing him when Grandpa was dying, but I was in single digits at the time.
Now as I sat there on the floor, my thoughts squirreled.
I sat on the floor thinking that it was sad that families don’t get together as much any more as in the past. We’ve gotten so busy in our own lives that we don’t make much time for our extended family anymore. (Yes, I am talking to me right now.)
So, I sat there remembering him and my other cousins. All these memories were just floating through my head.
Set Free
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (Jn. 8: 36 ESV)
But I was also at the feet of God. I sat there, thinking, “God, tell me what You need me to hear.” He said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8: 36 ESV).
At first, my mind is going, “What?” We generally associate this verse with salvation. When we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, He forgives us of our sin. I Corinthians 6: 11 says, “… But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (NLT). That sets us free. But the freedom entails more than just being free from sin.
Free From What?
God’s redemptive plan sets us free from the stain of sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6: 23 ESV). We have spiritual life instead spiritual death.
Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
Glossary
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
We think of physical death as a bad thing. It isn’t. My cousin is now actually sitting at God’s feet, praising Him.
However, I didn’t know what illness or struggle from which God set my cousin free — either now or in the future. He didn’t have to endure it any longer or go through it because he is now in heaven. Spiritual, eternal life outweighs physical death.
I firmly believe everything happens for a reason, but it may not have been my cousin’s reason. It may be the reason belongs to someone his life touched. His death may be the catalyst for someone’s growth.
I know, when my parents died six weeks apart, part of the reason was mine. I grew so much through that. I saw how much God loved me. I saw several realities in my life. Sometimes, death sets us free to grow.
Free Doesn’t Mean Alone
When I was driving to church, Danny Gokey’s song More Than You Think I Am came on. It talks about all the places that Jesus goes with us, even places we don’t think He would go.
Putting that into context with my thoughts at the feet of God, it was enlightening. Jesus set us free but didn’t leave us. Think of it this way.
Jesus doesn’t leave us alone. Matthew 28: 20 says, “… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age …” (NKJV). He is going to be by our side a really long time.
Jesus sets us free from the stain of sin but stays with us. He loves us so much; He doesn’t want us to be alone when life — even death — throws us curve balls.
We are free to lean on Jesus. We can fall into His arms and sob our hearts out (literally and figuratively).
We have a freedom to be ourselves while we grow in our Christian life. We can bring our pain, our bewilderment, our hurt to Jesus. (Okay, and our quirky humor.)
Jesus has experienced what we are going through. John 11: 35 tells us His reaction to Lazarus’ death: “Jesus wept” (KJV). We can be open and honest when we pray to Him. We can tell Him exactly how we are feeling.
God will guide us through these struggles to where He wants us to be. That is the reason we go through experiences in life. They make us to be the persons we are to become. They prepare us for eternal life.
From what does Jesus set us free? The penalty of sin. Going through some struggles of life. Going through the struggles alone. What a wonderful Savior we serve!
Father. You allow us to come to You when our spirits are crushed. You take us into the palm of Your hand. You protect us and comfort us. You grow us. You never leave us alone. We love You, Lord. Amen.
What do you think?
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