31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.--
I don't think we truly understand the blessing of freedom. Freedom is never free. Someone has to pay the price for another person to be free. MLK paid with his life to further a dream of all races being able to freely live life equally. Our parents/caregivers went out to work everyday to bring in money so that we could be free to be children. Though some of us still had it rough, we eventually took steps of sacrifice to free us up in other areas of life.
What is my point? Not to be philosophical. Not to get deep. Not to preach you happy but to invite you to be free today. Free to make a decision. Free to walk out in faith. Free to be changed. Free to be new. Free to not be like others, but free to be you.
If you don't know Christ, get to know Him. Don't formulate an opinion of Him based on the media, someone else's good or bad experiences with church, or misinterpretations of the Bible. How would you feel if you were negatively judged and summarized based on a misconception or untrue assumption?
If you do know Christ- whether it be distant, as an old friend, or passionately- stop waiting on the miraculous and incredible supernatural things to manifest before you submit even more of yourself to Him. Faith truly is standing, believing, anticipating and knowing it will happen even when there isn't a TRACE of evidence to be found.
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If you don't know Christ but would like to know Him, all you have to do make a decision.
Jesus was broken, bruised, beaten and crucified to heal our broken, bruised, beaten, and dead lives. He went to hell so we don't have to. He rose again so that our lives can be one of triumph and not despair. Nuff said.
Believe me? Speak this aloud: Jesus. I may not know you now, but I wish to. I've heard things in the past about you, some good and more than likely bad. But I come right now seeking to know You. Father- I believe that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to this earth to be a sacrifice for me. He died on the cross, went to hell, and has risen again and is alive today. Jesus, come into my heart and become my Lord and Savior. Amen.
If you just spoke those words, know that this is the first step in a lasting, rewarding, but also hard relationship. I will not paint you a pretty picture. The life of a Christian isn't easy. It has challenges, it has drawbacks. But it's also very rewarding and totally depended upon what YOU put into it.
So what's next? You've prayed this prayer but you're still in despair or you still feel the same. The next step is to lower your guard and throw out your preconceived notions about Christians. Some are crazy, some are mean, some lack integrity, some are stale, boring ,wack, etc. But there are also a lot who are approachable, who actually have fun. Those that build up other people. But most importantly there are Christians in your city who love God and will pour out that love into you. Churches all over America have small groups based on age, interests, gender, lifestyle patterns, etc. If you need help connecting with people please send me an email to: jerrika@divinescreation.com
