Your Love Sets Me Free
By Jen Wollner
“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32
By Jen Wollner
“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32
I was watching TV recently and came upon a
show about a young man named Mike. Ever since Mike was a boy, he dreamed of
playing baseball. He grew up on the ball field and became a player with real
potential. When he was a teenager, though, he also became someone with real
addictions, often over-indulging in drugs and alcohol. It became such a big
problem that it cost him his dream of playing professional baseball.
After being cut from his college team, Mike plunged deeper into his addictions to mask his disappointment and failure. One night, after spending hours at a local bar, he got into his car to drive home. With a blood-alcohol level of more than three times the legal limit, Mike’s judgment was severely impaired and he hit another car, killing the driver. He was immediately arrested and spent years in jail for his crime.
As God would have it, one of his cellmates was a strong Christian. He introduced Mike to Jesus and Mike accepted Christ as his personal Savior. He began to devour God’s Word, reading his Bible all day, every day. When asked how he felt about his time behind bars, Mike said, “Being in prison saved my life.” The love of Christ and truth of the cross had set him free—a spiritual freedom that he treasured far more than his physical release from jail.
Thankfully, most of us will never spend time in prison, but there are things in our lives that can feel like bondage. Like Mike, maybe we are suffering the consequences of poor choices—either our own or someone else’s. Or maybe we are just facing the trials of a fallen world. Whatever it is, we can all understand the heavy weight of sin. But, also like Mike, we experience freedom in Christ. Scripture tells us that if Jesus has set us free from sin, we are no longer a slave to it—we are free indeed! The love and sacrifice of the cross is more than enough to throw off the chains that bind us.
Everything rides on hope now.
Everything rides on faith somehow.
When the world has broken me down, your love sets me free.
(lyrics from “Hope Now” by Addison Road)
No matter what comes our way, there is always hope…always faith…and always a love that sets us free.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What sin or trial is enslaving you today? Ask Jesus to show you His love that is strong enough to release your burden.
FURTHER READING:
John 8:31-36; 1 Corinthians 13; John 3:16
Jen and her husband are busily parenting three elementary-aged children. She serves on the leadership team for Mission: Hope, Oakwood’s orphan care ministry.
After being cut from his college team, Mike plunged deeper into his addictions to mask his disappointment and failure. One night, after spending hours at a local bar, he got into his car to drive home. With a blood-alcohol level of more than three times the legal limit, Mike’s judgment was severely impaired and he hit another car, killing the driver. He was immediately arrested and spent years in jail for his crime.
As God would have it, one of his cellmates was a strong Christian. He introduced Mike to Jesus and Mike accepted Christ as his personal Savior. He began to devour God’s Word, reading his Bible all day, every day. When asked how he felt about his time behind bars, Mike said, “Being in prison saved my life.” The love of Christ and truth of the cross had set him free—a spiritual freedom that he treasured far more than his physical release from jail.
Thankfully, most of us will never spend time in prison, but there are things in our lives that can feel like bondage. Like Mike, maybe we are suffering the consequences of poor choices—either our own or someone else’s. Or maybe we are just facing the trials of a fallen world. Whatever it is, we can all understand the heavy weight of sin. But, also like Mike, we experience freedom in Christ. Scripture tells us that if Jesus has set us free from sin, we are no longer a slave to it—we are free indeed! The love and sacrifice of the cross is more than enough to throw off the chains that bind us.
Everything rides on hope now.
Everything rides on faith somehow.
When the world has broken me down, your love sets me free.
(lyrics from “Hope Now” by Addison Road)
No matter what comes our way, there is always hope…always faith…and always a love that sets us free.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What sin or trial is enslaving you today? Ask Jesus to show you His love that is strong enough to release your burden.
FURTHER READING:
John 8:31-36; 1 Corinthians 13; John 3:16
Jen and her husband are busily parenting three elementary-aged children. She serves on the leadership team for Mission: Hope, Oakwood’s orphan care ministry.
