Staying Free

Today’s Text Comes from:

Galatians 5:1

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."

Today’s Notes from the Scriptures

Paul knew all about slavery. So did everyone in the Roman Empire. As many as one-sixth of all its inhabitants were slaves. Slavery also was of interest to Paul's hometown of Tarsus.

We know this because, during a stay in Tarsus a few years before Paul's birth, Mark Antony had freed all in the city that had been sold into slavery.

Paul's letters are filled with references to slavery. The word frequently translated "slave"-doulos-appears 32 times in his letters. It was central in his letter to the people of Galatia, a region near Tarsus. Paul stressed that Jesus had come that they might be free. This freedom was for anyone! He had died on the Cross to pay for all of their sins.

Today, many Christians know that their sins have been forgiven, yet they still feel like prisoners. To them, God's promises seem like fiction or fantasy. It feels hopeless to resist the pressures of the world, so they feel compelled to follow their urges. They feel that they can never experience all of God's blessings. But Paul tried to make this matter of a Believer's freedom as clear as possible: "Christ has truly set us free" (Galatians 5:1).

Now we have choices to make. We can decide to remain as slaves, or we can decide to be free. This means we need to take a stand and "keep standing firm," not compromising or giving in.

Day after day, we must declare God's promises to be true.

Today, be bold to believe the Bible. Jesus came into this world that you might be free-free from sin and bondage, free from addictions and bad habits. Don't remain a slave. Submit your life to God, and obey His Word. Let Him give you true freedom. Let Him make you really free!

PRAYER: Father, thank You that Jesus has set me free. Help me to stay free and not become tied up in slavery to the law or to anything else. I declare my freedom today! In Jesus' name Amen