Via Chuck Piece Restoration Day 6: Our Freedom! We have established that God is longing to restore abundant zoe life to us—not just to a former state, but to a greater measure than we have ever known. For our devotions for days 6 – 10, let’s deal with specific areas that, as God works His restoration, will give us that vital, blessed, rich life worth living (many of these points will be covered in greater detail in later chapters). The first is Our Freedom! “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” (Gal. 5:1, NIV). God longs for His people to be free from whatever chains have held them in bondage. In both the Old and New Testaments, God has proven this pattern to be so. The people of Israel, for example, cried out in agony when they were enslaved in Egypt. God heard their groanings and remembered the promises He had given to their forefathers. The rest of the book of Exodus shows the extraordinary lengths to which God will go to set His people free and to keep His promises. Later, we see how the prophet Jeremiah was freed from captivity and given several options. “And now look, I free you this day from the chains that were on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there” (Jer. 40:4). The word “free” in this passage is the Hebrew word pathach, meaning to open wide, loosen, set free, release, untie, unshackle or liberate. Through that freedom, that “pathach-ing,” Jeremiah was not only freed from the captivity he had been in, but he was then also able to make some choices and begin a whole new process in his life; shackles had been released and a new door had opened wide. Of course the most beautiful example of freedom that directly affects each of us today was prophesied by Isaiah of the Lord Jesus, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isa. 61:1). Jesus releases and liberates us from the dominion of sin and restores us to a right relationship with the Father. When that happens, the hindrances of restoration are broken. Sin resists freedom, but Christ delivers us into a freedom that reverses our death sentence and starts life in motion! We must, however, recognize that we are indeed free. I once heard the story of a dog that had been tied to a post for some years. The dog would stretch to the end of its rope and walk in circles around the post. As the years passed, the dog trod out an entrenched circular groove in the earth. Though he could see much farther, his world could only reach as far as his restraints would let him. One day, the dog’s master decided to free him from the post. The man untied the rope and watched, expecting to see the dog race off into the surrounding area and explore that which he had only been allowed to view from his restrained position. Strangely, the dog did not run or play or explore. Though his master tried to entice him away, the dog merely began to walk in the entrenched circle he had created throughout such a long period of time. We, like the dog, are often unaware that our restraints have been removed. Even when the Lord would try to move us out into our new freedom, we may have a tendency to remain in the safety of the entrenchments we have created for ourselves. Declare that you will embrace the freedom that the Lord has provided for you – even if that means going beyond the boundaries that have seemed acceptable or comfortable in the last season.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:36:11 +0000
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