Scripture: John 8:31-32
Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Thought for the Day: The Apostle Paul spoke often about freedom or being set free. He not only spoke about it, but it spoke from the perspective of one who knew that experience. He truly had been liberated from a past that was narrow and spiritually debilitating. This was not a liberation from Judaism, but from a sect within Judaism that was very narrow in its thinking. All religions fall into this trap, not just once, but on a reoccurring basis. Christianity has often seen the rise of what might be portrayed as a new spiritual revival, but is later discovered to be nothing more than religion seeking to control and enslave people. If you are to look closely and objectively, you can almost always find that this narrow vision of a religion has nothing to do with religion. The leaders of these new movements were those who were seeking to hold power over others because of their fears or narcissism. According to John’s Gospel, the teachings of Jesus are the pathway to freedom. When Jesus summarized all the teaching by encouraging his disciples to love the Lord their God and to love their neighbor, he recognized the power of love to cast out all fear (1st John 4) and to put something other than self at the center of the universe. In today’s world, too many decisions are made out of fear or self-centeredness. The hard work of centering life around God and lifting up others in love is where we must start. Around Cypress Creek Christian Church, we call that putting love first in all things.
Prayer: Be with me, O Lord. Be my guide and gracious mentor as I strive to put you and your love first in my life. Amen.
Don’t Miss
The Mark Burns’ Lecture
Tonight at 6:30pm
In the Centrum
