大象传媒

Good morning.
My guess is that you aren鈥檛 going to be that free today.听 You have a routine to follow, duties to perform and problems to endure.听
One of the delights of holidays is that they promise a couple of precious weeks when we can shake off the straitjacket and choose what we want to do.听 We dream of blue skies, gentle seas and a snooze on a sandy beach.听 But before that we have to queue for a security check at the airport and do as we鈥檙e told.听 It feels a bit like sheep-dipping. Then there鈥檚 the wait at the Gate until someone says the plane is ready.
Whatever freedom we may have, it鈥檚 restricted.听
The Bible has lots to say about freedom, which isn鈥檛 surprising since the Old Testament people of God had been enslaved and New Testament Christians lived in a Police State.
It was in those constrained conditions that Jesus said about himself: 鈥淚f The Son makes you free, you will be free indeed鈥�.
The kind of freedom He offers isn鈥檛 licence to do as you like; it鈥檚 liberation to do what is right. People fought for it.听 Martyrs paid dearly for it.听 Thomas Jefferson said, 鈥淭he tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.鈥�
I don鈥檛 know what the future holds for us, but I have Christ鈥檚 picture of the way ahead: 鈥淓nter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.鈥�
Lord God, giver of life, may I value the freedom I enjoy today and use it wisely.听 Amen.
听