Alive and Free
August 1
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:36
Peter wasn’t sure if he was reaching these men. Only two of them had given
their lives to Christ in the time since he’d begun this Thursday night Bible
study at a prison just outside his community. He wasn’t too impressed with his
conversion versus attendance ratio. Right now he was waiting for the prisoners
to show up for tonight’s meeting following nine o’clock count.
Peter knew firsthand how these men felt, as he’d done a stretch of time
five years before. Released and delivered, Peter wanted to give other men the
opportunity he’d been given. He warmly remembered the day when that big
brute of a man, Ben Johnson, had looked him in the eye and said, “I’m not
dead or incarcerated, and I could be either. The reason I’m not is Jesus Christ!
Because of Him I’m alive and free!” The smile on his face seemed to fit. There
was an evident sincerity in his eyes that said, “This freedom thing is awesome!”
Snapping back to the moment, Peter watched as the men began filing in
and taking their seats. When they were settled, he welcomed them and asked
them to join him in prayer. “Lord, each of these men has a story, and many
should be dead. I thank You that instead they’re alive. Help them see what they
can have in You. Show them how being one of Your children can conquer any
problem they face and how Your love can set them free. Amen.”
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Prisons come in all forms, and death of the soul can take place long before our
physical expiration. Jesus wants to set us free.
Walking through life with burdens we were never meant to carry erects
walls of confinement. Any lifestyle that runs in opposition to God’s will keeps
us from experiencing the fullness of life, the joy and freedom we receive in the
Holy Spirit, and leaves us in jeopardy of losing our eternal life. As long as you
still breathe, there’s a chance to experience these things.
Ben said, “Because of Him I’m alive and free!” The antithesis is dead and
incarcerated.
Prayer
“Lord, set me free from this prison I’m in. Release
the chains of bondage and set me free! Amen.”
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