Did you know it took two years for the slaves living in the south to hear about the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation? This amazing act of government had taken place changing the status of millions of men and women from enslaved to free, but they didn’t even know it had happened. They say good news travel fast, but in those days and in this case, not so much!
Today, we live in a world of lightning-fast communication with up-to-the-minute information available at our fingertips, yet the majority of the world still doesn’t know they are free. I’m not referring to the freedom from being owned by another person, I’m referring to the things that govern our behavior, our moods, and our motives. Freedom from the things that cause us to feel helpless, weak, lost, or broken.
Every set of chains looks different for each person. Some are bright and shiny, tempting and alluring as they wrap themselves around us until we realize we can’t break free from them. Other chains are heavy from the weight of bad decisions, self-serving motives, and deceitful actions that hurt us and others. We drag these chains of unforgiveness and consequence around with us as penance for our poor choices. Still other chains are placed upon us by those who have suffered their own pain and regret, and they find temporary solace in unloading their burden on us. So many stories, so many links in our chains…
If you are living in the captivity of your personal chains, I’m here to share some news – you have been set free! Jesus knew about your chains and went to the cross to break them from you! The work is already done, and you’re already free so now you just need to choose to live as a free person!
For some, hearing what Jesus did to save us from the bondage of our sin seems like nothing more than a story. While others may decide to believe, but don’t know how to live in their new freedom. Here’s more good news… God has a plan for that! When we spend time in His word, God not only reminds us of our freedom but teaches us how to live in the freedom Jesus provides. We don’t need to figure out how to break the chains, we need to trust God enough to walk away from them.
In this day and age in America, we have no reason to not have received this Good News. But now, we get to walk in the freedom we’ve been given. Let’s get moving…
Be blessed!
Jennifer
“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.” Galatians 5:1