Word for Wednesday
Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
The prisoner from the penitentiary arrived in the courtroom accompanied by two burly and well-armed guards. The prisoner had shackles on his ankles, preventing him from taking any but short steps. A large leather belt about his waist had a strong metal loop with two chains attached. These chains were fastened to the man’s wrists. That he was a prisoner, nobody had any doubt. When he was finally permitted to sit on the bench, his chains clanked noisily. And yet, the prisoner held his head high, with the light of hope in his eye. He had come because of fresh evidence regarding the crime of which he had been convicted. As the new evidence was presented, it became apparent to all that the man was innocent. The judge made the formal declaration, and asked the prisoner to stand. As he did so, the judge ordered the guards to remove the shackles from his ankles and the chains from his wrists. As the chains fell away, the free man punched the air with his fist, and shouted, ‘Thank you, thank you!’ Turning to the guards, he waved and said ‘Good-bye!’ The guards bowed, smiled, and left the courtroom. Freedom is a wonderful thing to those who have known bondage.
No, you and I have never been entangled in the legal bondage of Judaism. But we were once bound by sin’s shackes more securely than any penitentiary prisoner. We were held helplessly in the tangle of our own making, laden with our own iniquities. But we have been freed. And like the releassed prisoner, we should raise our voices in thanksgiving, and lift our hands in perfect freedom. Just as the released prisoner had no desire to return to the penitentiary with the guards, so we ought never to desire to wallow in the sins from which we have been freed.
Have we been freed? Praise God, we have! Do we give thanks? For sure we do! Do we stand fast in our liberty? Oh, yes, we must! We stand firmly in the glorious assurance that there is no condemnation for us, and we are at liberty to live and work for the Lord who freed us. -Jim MacIntosh