DAILY WORD

We have been called to freedom. As the apostle Paul so succinctly summarizes, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). In this morning’s reading from John’s gospel, Jesus instructs his new followers and offers the promise of freedom and this freedom is discovered in knowing the Truth. Jesus himself is the Truth, so, in one sense, knowing the truth is tantamount to knowing Jesus. But Jesus also instructs his following to “continue” in his word, which suggests that the truth that brings freedom is also found in the riches of God’s holy word.

The area of our lives in which we most often lack freedom is our emotions. The promise of the gospel is not only that we are set free from sin and death, but also from fear, shame, resentment, rejection, unforgiveness, and the many other emotional burdens we carry in our souls. It is also imperative that we know what we have been set free to. We have been set free to live life abundantly, to worship with abandon, to love freely, to give generously, and, most importantly, to find and fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.

I leave you today with a simple poem that expresses God’s promise of freedom.

Free to laugh, free to cry.
Free to live, free to die,
Free to lose, free to gain,
Free from guilt, free from shame,
Free to sing, free to dance,
Free to love, take a chance,
Be forgiven, and forgive,
Hope and purpose, now to live.
Through Jesus Christ, you can be,
now and forever, emotionally free.
- Rita Bennett

l