November 14
(Acts 22:29 NIV) “Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.”
(Luke 4:18 NIV) “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,”
(Psalms 116:16 NIV) “O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.”
(Galatians 5:1 NIV) “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
In most nations, citizens have rights that non-citizens do not have. The Roman commander knew that he was not allowed to put a Roman citizen in chains without good cause. Citizens have rights. We who are citizens of the Kingdom also do not belong in chains. Jesus came to set us free, but many Christians remain in bondage. Their chains are not visible, but they are real. They are in bondage to regret, bitterness, anxiety, abuse, addiction, envy, un-forgiveness, and many other maladies. If you are a citizen of God’s Kingdom and still in chains, it is not some-thing God has willed. You may not have chosen your particular chains in the beginning, but you do have a choice about remaining in them. Do you want to be free? Jesus came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners! Cry out to Him, and when the chains fall off, do not return to them again. A citizen does not belong in chains. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day
No comments:
Post a Comment