In John 10:9 I read, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” (ESV)
I don’t need to be behind bars to be in prison. Why? Because the most common prison is in the mind.
A relationship can be a prison when it makes me feel trapped. Debt can be a suffocating prison that I don’t think I’ll ever escape. A tradition can be a prison because it confines me and doesn’t let me embrace the freedom God wants me to have. A painful memory can lock me behind steel doors of pain. Depression, fatigue, and shame can also be prisons.
The good news is that God wants to break me out!
God wants me to be free. When he opens doors, they’re pathways to something good. But before God can get me to where he wants me to go, he has to get me out of the prisons I’m in.
How does he do it?
First, he shakes things up. When Paul and his friends were in prison in Acts 16, God brought about an earthquake. Sometimes God has to shake my foundations—particularly my foundational beliefs—to get me out of prison, too. He’ll send an earthquake into my life to shake up those beliefs so I’m ready for the freedom he wants to give me.
Second, he plugs me into the power of the resurrection. That’s what Easter is all about. Jesus’ resurrection is the most powerful event in history. God makes that power available to me every day.
Paul says in Ephesians 1:19-20, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (NLT).
The same power that opened Jesus’ tomb will open the prison doors that are holding me back. That’s real freedom! I just have to believe and trust God to provide for me in this way.
Over the next few studies, I’ll look at three specific ways that Jesus wants to bring me freedom.
In summary, I don’t need to be behind bars to be in prison. The most common prison is in the mind. A relationship can be a prison when it makes me feel trapped. Debt can be a suffocating prison that I don’t think I’ll ever escape. A tradition can be a prison because it confines me. A painful memory can lock me behind steel doors of pain. Depression, fatigue, and shame can also be prisons. The good news is that God wants to break me out! God wants me to be free. When he opens doors, they’re pathways to something good. But before God can get me to where he wants me to go, he has to get me out of the prison I’m in. To do so first, he shakes things up. When Paul and his friends were in prison in Acts 16, God brought about an earthquake. Sometimes God has to shake my foundations—particularly my foundational beliefs. He’ll send an earthquake into my life to shake up those beliefs. Second, he plugs me into the power of the resurrection. That’s what Easter is all about. Jesus’ resurrection is the most powerful event in history. God makes that power available to me every day. The same power that opened Jesus’ tomb will open the prison doors that are holding me back. I just have to believe and trust God to provide for me in this way.
In the sheepfold, the shepherd functioned as a gate, letting the sheep in and protecting them. Jesus is the gate to God's salvation for me. He offers access to safety and security. Christ is our protector. Some people resent that Jesus is the gate, the only way of access to God. But Jesus is God's son, why should I (we) seek any other way or want to customize a different approach to God?
0 comments:
Post a Comment