Day 1 of Knowing Him: An Easter Devotional (view all days)
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
What a bold claim! Because Christ came, because he lived a perfect life and died the death that should have been ours, because he rose from the dead on the third day, we can be free! Free from what? One can think of all the things that put the human soul in bondage. Fear of death? Yes! Jesus went there, and came through the other side, and said we could join him. Sin? Yes! God wants us to be free from the task-master that is sin. He wants us to be liberated from our own limitations, our obsessions, addictions, and bondage. Evil? Yes! We can be free from the power of the Evil One as we come to believe that Jesus stomped on his head (Genesis 3:15) and that Satan’s power can never rival God’s.
The cross of Christ frees us from spiritual diversions that do not move us closer to God. It tears down temples and rituals and regimens. It nullifies self-righteousness and spiritual pride. The apostle Paul says in this verse that this message of the crucifixion of Jesus, this once-for-all antidote for our spiritual disease, is his work, and his grace.
So the choice is this–hang onto the notion that we are to perform well and hope that God gives us a reward for a job well done, or come to the crucified Jesus, be humbled by him, and let his work set us free.
Ponder This: What is it that is limiting your freedom today? And how might this apply to you: “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free”?
[This daily devotional will appear through Easter. You may receive via email.]
VERY GOOD.
It was very good, thank God for freedom!
This is very inspirational. I will share it!
Freedom from “death” Freedom from sin and to start a new life.
TOO RIGHT, SPOT ON
Not having enough money to pay our bills do to the higher cost of heating oil and fuel cost. The lord Jesus died on the cross for us, so that we can be forgiven of our sins and enjoy the peace and love of our father in Heaven.
I have known these things all my life. I just started to listen to God about 12 years ago. I love Jesus and he loves me. I take what he teaches me outside the church and try to get friends that I have not met yet to know that he lives. I don’t need any more prove
Letting go and letting GOD.Freedom from self doubt and negative thoughts.Amen.
Very well said. Many of us are not aware of the areas in which we are not free until we examine our lives in the light of the Scriptures. Many of us seem to be a bit too close to the world to realize that in God’s eyes we are still not free.
My dear friends,
I had my faith challenged from an unexpected source recently and the exchange of ideas only helped me to clarifiy my faith further and realize that I am firmly rooted and grounded in my beliefs.
may we all be ready to praise our Risen Lord during this glorious Easter season.
Dan Cain, Sr.
Thank you, Dan (and others of you who have commented early). May we all grow in our knowledge of Jesus in these next days!
I am so grateful for the freedom that Jesus bought with His own life for me. I have to work this out in my life by turning from the bondage that holds me so strongly….every day to turn from it. Because the Word says I am free, then I am free. “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed”
Almost everyday the world crashes down on me, be it bills, broken down car, forgetting things, you name it. I’ll get frustrated because I try hard to be good and have faith that He will see me through these things and they don’t seem to go away. I’ll cry and rant at Him. Then the Holy Spirit whispers to me “patience.” and once again I beg for His forgiveness and praise Him. Then I see His blessings come at His time, the right time! Praise God! Don’t lose faith that He moves in His time!
Wow, God has talked to me again, through this devotional and even the comments. I’ve been asking God to show me his ways and to put his will and dreams in my heart so I’ll know the next step I have to take in my professional life. By doing so, although I’m still in the process of making these decisions, I cannot deny his peace in my heart. For I know He is with me and guides me. He has freed me from worry and uncertainty. My God is awesome!
WOW!!! awesome its like a breathe of fresh air and empowering,habilitating, and bears up(confirms).Thanks….
By not living in the moment with CHRIST, I lose my freedom,peace and serenity.
to get back with CHRIST,I say these four words,”I trust you JESUS.”
It is so cool to know that CHRIST JESUS; Loves us so much that He gave His life for us.
Great question.
It is by God’s grace alone, through faith, that a seriously flawed person like me can be made acceptable to a totally sovereign and Holy God. Lord, that I may know you, and the power of such love.
The freedom of the cross has done so much for my life. It gives me the right to come to God on a daily basis and allow him to work through me in all my life. It gives me freedom to tell others about all that he has blessed me with. Be it in the supermarket, the workplace, or WalMart. I pray daily that the Lord will let others see his light in me and that if just one person can be touched by God’s love through talking to me or watching my actions, that I can sleep peacefully. The cross gave us this freedom to share the wonderful sacrifice God gave by sending Jesus, his only Son to DIE for ME! How many of us give even one day of service to share his gospel. I am at a point in my life that the cross has released me from being unevenly yoked with an unsaved man by defending my faith and refusing to give up my work in the church and to be limited to one service a week. I will be there when the doors are open, because I love my Lord above all in life and I want ot be near him. I no longer have a nice new home, I am in a borrowed RV, and I do not have a permanent job, but I am rich. I listened to what God wanted me to do and I am blessed above and beyond. He provides my daily bread and see to all my needs. if not for the cross I could not be this close to my Savior and I could not imagine a day without him. Praise God and Blessed be The Lamb of God, Jesus, for his suffering.
Love it! I heard research quoted yesterday that we have 66,000 thoughts in a day, and 44,000 of them are negative. That’s two thirds of our brain each day that can be lifted because of Christ, to be used to celebrate what He gave us instead.
I have been yoked to the worldly desire to succeed in my pursuit of money and security and have attained most of this during thirty years of toil. This toil has taken me from a laborer to a top level office job that has paid for my home, raised my family and taken care of years of cancer in my wife. For these last things I am grateful, but the cost of freedom to worship my Lord and Savior has been great and for that my soul weeps and cries out to God.
After much prayer and discernment I have made the decision to give up this job and dedicate my life to the service of our LORD. God willing, I will become ordained to pastor a congregation that needs a shepherd. I turn over my life to Christ’s service and have faith in Him to provide for my needs.
Glory be to God…
May God guide your steps, David.
Amen. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Even though we know it, we just simply need to be reminded especially in these times. I just like to say, Thank you Jesus for setting me free. Thank You! Thank you Jesus.
Dear all.
Jesus freed me from death. Jesus save me when no one did, He was lashed and crucified for me and all of us , He has given me freedom from excessive drug abuse, from destructive and aggressive rage, from alcohol, from 24 years of painful migraines, He freed me from adultery and fornication , from depression, from 18 years of smoking, and from enormous bitterness that chained me down. I didn’t have a horrible upbringing my mum is christian and i recieve Jesus when i was about 8 years old. I let loose like any other teen, but i was always protected by Jesus even in my worst days. He and only He, took me when even my wife left me because i was a lost case. So all i did was to look up to my Father and to Jesus and ask for help and forgiveness, and believe that by His death i was given freedom. He is still teaching me and changing me, but the big issues and my addictions went from night to day, when i woke up their gone and no cold turkeys, or withdraw symptoms as if i never had those problems in my life. So i owe my life to Jesus my saviour and my champion. I am only 35 years old and a new life ahead. Jesus is working with my wife as she was hurt by my actions and getting her freedom too from that life in death we had. God bless you all and the glory to Him through Jesus. That freedom belongs to everyone, i just decided to take the get out of jail card and He did the rest 🙂
We are glad with you, Pablo!
The best thing I have read on line in quite awhile. Jesus gave his life for the wrongs I have done. If that does not get your attention I don'[t know what will. Beleive, Trust and Obey the commands of Jesus. The work you do on this earth will impact therewards you receive in heaven.
Go! Presch the Good Nedw.
This is what I preach every Sunday but I see too many instances where churches do not embrace what Jesus came here to do. To set people free.
I need to forgive several people in my life. It is a work in progress!!
I am truely thankful for the cross, and what Jesus did for all who belive,and i belive.
John 8:36: “If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”
Yes, God through His Son Christ Jesus has set me free. I’m free indeed.
Now I am free, I can shout with boldness, Behold my God!
I walk as a Son of God, knowing that a son has an inheritance. I walk in relationship with Him, just as He walked with Adam in the cool of the evening. When I am free Satan has no hold over me! My desires have now changed. Since I met the Saviour of the world!
His name is Jesus! – He gave His life for me! – He was bruised for my iniquities – He was wounded for my transgression. By His stripes I am healed.
I met the One who promised living water! – I am no longer thirsty!
I found the Bread of Heaven; I no longer hunger for the things of this world, but for the things of God. I have received His Life giving Spirit, He filled me to overflowing, and I’ll never be the same again.
What an Awesome God our God is. Words will not be enough to express His great love for us . My God who first loved, me, in his thoughts before he fashioned me in my mothers’s womb knew how many times I will fall till the day I meet him and yet he gave himself to wash me as white as snow in his blood. How wonderful He has freed me from strive to be good for He is Goodness in me. He is Love in me. He is Joy in me . He is Peace in me. He is Strength in me. He is mercy in me. He his kindness in me. Wow!
Now I can go about each day knowing that this awesome God dwells in me in all his glory walking through all my trials victoriously as He has won all my battles for his greater glory. Praise God!!!!
Great word that touch me deeply.Thank you Jesus for redeeming me and for giving me a new life, i will serve you forever.
Thanks for this daily devotional it has reached me in South africa and i am going to spread it to my people.
Pastor Anna. Word of Faith Ministries
Thank you for that devotional! It’s ever worthy knowing that Christ Jesus died for us to free us from all bondages that we could sit with Him in heavenly places. To know that through Him we are afforded such luxuries in the Spirit.
I am a sheep and sometimes I get myself stuck in ditches. Ever faithful and gentle He comes to get me out. I don’t think that I will ever come to a place where I will not fall. The world is fallen and full of potholes, but as full as it is, God is always there to get me out.
I think it truly is for our freedom that He gave His precious blood for us, and that freedom is also called by other names like change of heart, change of attitude, changes in the way of speaking, et al., so His freedom is also a turning leaf, a shaking off of the old man and the donning of the new one. It is because of that freedom that we can even do that.
May His due praise ever drip from our lips and fall from our eyes! He has done so much. My prayer for His Resurrection Day is that His Bride be in her whitest white, that we would be holy and for the air to be charged with a reverent Spirit to worship Him and praise Him from the depths of us. He is worthy.
the freedom is there if you choose it to be there. don’t hide your faith
God Bless
Freely You gave it all for us
Surrendered Your life upon that cross
Great is Your love poured out for all
This is our God,
Lifted on high from death to life
Forever our God is glorifed
Servant and King, rescued the world
This is our God.
What is limiting me today is that I’m a closed person. I want to reach out to others, but have no real ability to do so. I pray for freedom from my own inhibitions and fears of others in order to step out and do the work God has prepared for me to do.
‘I’:
I had the same feelings you have. But I told myself that God does not want me to be afraid or worry. I will never be fruitful and give Him glory by being afraid.
Pray for strength and wisdom. The Holy Spirit is always with you. You will be amazed at the abilities you think you don’t have! You will grow in your faith.
The way I understand this scripture (Galatians 5:1) Paul is telling us that we are free from ritual. Free from the law and works for salvation.When Jesus died on the cross he said” it is finished”(John 19:30) kjv
The pentalty for sin had been paid. We don’t have to add anything to it. The song writter sang” Jesus paid it all, all to him we owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, but he washe me white as snow”
That’s good news! We don’t have to try to work out our salvation.
Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Verse 9 say”Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Our boasting will be in the Lord.
Thanks.
My own selfish is what keep me from freedom, but with Jesus help I am being molded into a way that I can help others thru my heart not my own desires. Jesus is the one who set us free to live a live in peace with him. Our selish desires are what get in the way. So we need to pray daily to Jesus to help us with this and show others that they count in our life.
That is a good passage. I do understand that the cross is payment for my sins but, i continually do the things i do not want to do. I am the chiefest of sinners and where there is sin, there is death. i don’t know how to take every thought captive. i am continually working at it but it exhausts me. i feel like I don’t know how to let go and let God. Which makes me feel like my faith is weak and this creates a lot of self condemnation.
Question, God cast Satan on to the earth. Why did he cast him here? Is this why we have so much evil that we have to deal with and heart acts we deal with? With the power of God, why not cast him off the earth and some place that we can live in peace on earth, which we all pray too have.
Fear, anxiety, shame and very low self-esteem are crippling me and keeping me from being free. I am changing and am in the Word every day now. I have connected with a home group and am in fellowship with wonderful, caring and commited Christians. Now I feel that I am under attack by satan for trying to walk closer with our Lord. I pray for God’s protection.
Thank you for this series of devotionals, Mel.
Could it be that we sometimes doubt that we are worth this freedom? Please know that when we are challenged (from an addiction, situation, relationship, etc.) we are called to ask for Jesus’ help, ask Him to take the wheel! Jesus will! As my Pastor said this morning, “This is what Jesus wants from us, to realize that we cannot handle those trying, emotional, heart wrenching moments, that we can call on Him to be our help for these situations.” The freedom Jesus brings is hard to understand because of how the world treats us and how Satan tries to tempt us to turn his way. That freedom that Jesus gives us the option to choose.
Thank you for a vey inspirational and profound message. He is there for us always, we need only to truly believe and give it to God. “Be still and know that I am God.” The freedom and peace are there for us all when we nourish our faith. Trust in Jesus.
Giving into worldly desires instead of God’s Will
I believe the thing that hinders me most is my mind. I am almost sixty yrs. old. I was raised in a dysfunctional home and left at 15 to get away from my father who was sexually and physically abusing me. From there on my family life became dysfunctional. Love one the most important thing in my life outside of my children. I wanted the happy ever after, but it never came. I have severe depression, 2 of my oldest children died in 2010 also their father to. My memory is bad, my mind is always racing and sadly I still think about love. So I think my past is keeping me from truly in the heart keeping me from God. I believe in God and starting praying when I was 12. I have recently starting going to Church. Please pray for me – thank you.
Dear Sir,
I lift you up for that message about “The freedom of the Cross.” I hope it lifts others up and draws them nearer to His truth. Thanks to you sir.
God has taken one of the most hideous instrument of death imaginable and has turned it into the most beautiful symbol of love and forgiveness possible.
Freedom from all sin (past, present and future). “Behold; the Lamb of God who takes away the Sin of the world”! This is truly God’s perfect plan of Love.
Hi, Before beginning, the “EMAIL” address above, as I am seeing it now, is WRONG. For some odd reason, when I typed (three [3] times) the second (2nd) character ZERO, it showed up as a small “O”. The first three characters are suppose to be: (1) a small “d”, followed by a ZERO (the typing of which is still showing that small “O”, followed by a “n”.
d (ZERO) natelo@hotmail.com
I surely hope you understand what I am trying to say, just in case you respond to my “Reply,” which I don’t expect. I’d like a response is because I am not sure that my thoughts, about to be expressed, are “correct.” Of course, I think they are. Otherwise I wouldn’t be taking this time to put them down. I would just like some further EDUCATED thoughts on the matter of “faith” vs. “acts” based upon your reflection.
You said, “the choice is this–hang onto the notion that we are to perform well and hope that God gives us a reward for a job well done, or come to the crucified Jesus, be humbled by him, and let his work set us free.”
I say, BOTH!
Continuing from Paul’s “Galatians 5:1”, he further states in Verse 6, “For in Christ Jesus….The only thing that counts is faith EXPRESSNG ITSELF through love.” (My emphasis). Going on, Paul states in Verses 13-14, “… rather, serve one another humbly in love. (14)For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” When one does this, he/she is “walking by the Spirit” (v. 16). Scripture says (elsewhere -?) “By his fruits you shall know him.” (“His” and “him” means EVERYONE. “You” means, the observer, or our “neighbors.”)
Paul continues in Verses 22-23 with, “.. the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness and self-control….”
What I am saying here is that YES, “we ARE to perform well and hope that God gives us a reward for a job well done.” (my emphases) In doing so, we EXPRESS OUR FAITH in the SAVING GRACE (WORKS) OF CHRIST JESUS. In OUR “acts” of the “Fruits” of the “Spirit,” toward God and our neighbors, we are “performing well,” and “hoping” we are praising God through these acts; “hoping” also that we are following in the footsteps of our Savior/Lord, Jesus Christ. THEREFORE, we are “hoping” that we “will be made worthy of the promises of Christ.” It is through these “ACTS” (of the “fruits of the Spirit”) that we PROVE, if you will, our “FAITH” in the ONE WHO SAVES US, JESUS CHRIST!
There is no doubt in my mind that it is the humbling acts of Christ Jesus becoming and living as human, then horribly dying an “innocent” man on a crucifix, and finally be raised from death three (3) days later as he said he would, which saves us all from eternal damnation. In doing so, He gives us the HOPE that those who “BELIEVE” (i.e. “have faith”) in Him will ALSO follow Him into Eternal Paradise! BUT, Jesus tells us repeatedly, by BOTH His life and words, that we must SHOW OUR BELIEF through “Love one another as I have you.” You can’t “love” with JUST words. You must SHOW it by DOING the “fruits of the Spirit” (expressed above)! Without the ACTIONS to PROVE it, our words are mere puffs of hot air.
I pray that, every day, and in every way that I may worthily worship, and PROVE my faith and love for our God, through Christ Jesus, His Son. I pray also that WE ALL will live by the “fruits of the Spirit” so that our world here will become a worshiping one of the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD of WHOM there are THREE PERSONS, FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT! And finally, I pray that all of us who BELIEVE IN GOD and PRACTICE the “fruits of the Spirit will meet in the promised “reward,” the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom of God where we shall live with our Savior/Lord, Jesus Christ, forever.
GOD BE PRAISED!
An unworthy servant,
Michael
Pastor Mel:
Thanks for your work, and of course thanks to God for having you doing this devotional.
I think one of the most difficult task,like christians we have, is the fact to trust and with absolute confidence put our lives in God hands, and let him to guide us in our daily walk. The world teaches us, is our responsibility, and our right and privilege to decide for ourselves, and discover our talents, and identify our dreams to make the perfect decisions and reach OUR goals. All is center in Us. However is Jesus who knows better what is good for us in all of the areas. Is not me is him!!