Daily Devotional: Friday, March 26
Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: Reality (Truth)
Weekend Music links on iTunes: Your Grace is Enough by Chris Tomlin; Let the Praises Ring by Lincoln Brewster; How Can I Keep From Singing by Chris Tomlin; Came to My Rescue by Hillsong United.
Read: John 8:31-36; 2 Corinthians 5:17
Bible Challenge: Luke 4 (Saturday: Luke 5; Sunday: Luke 6)
Think: We Americans place a high value on freedom - and rightly so!!! Our soldiers fought (and continue to do so today) to protect it, to restore it to those who have lost it and to ensure it for the generations that will follow us. When we think of a free society we think of the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly... All incredibly important and well worth fighting for! But there is a greater freedom that law and military power cannot secure: Freedom from sin, freedom from hopelessness and despair, and ultimately, freedom from death. It is for these greater things that Pastor Ben taught us being Rooted in Christ sets us truly free!
We couldn't free ourselves, not through any amount of good works, sacrifice, or penance... Seems mankind has tried them all in one form or another. Jesus knew the human condition - enslaved to sin. Jesus' heart broke for His people and with single minded focus, Jesus came to set us free.
"Jesus was therefore saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,'" (John 8:31,32).
As we start looking toward Easter, let's spend the next days really considering what that freedom brings to those of us who follow Christ. Let the truth of His Word, and the vastness of His love begin to prepare you as we celebrate the most momentous event in all of history - the Lord's death and resurrection. In Him we are set free and we are made new.
Do: Make time for a quiet moment to remember what it felt like before knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior - being weighed down by the sin, the attempts to make things right in our own strength, the inability to bridge the gap on our own.
Pray: God I am so grateful Your acceptance and forgiveness of me doesn't rest on my efforts. I know I am not good enough and couldn't ever do enough to deserve your mercy. Thanks you that you provided the perfect Sacrifice... thank you for Jesus. Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church. |
